Rachel Eburne

Mid Suffolk’s 2013/14 budget was approved last month with the Council freezing council tax and accepting a Government council tax freeze grant of £54,000.  Without an increase in council tax this year, and with all the Government funding changes in hand, the taxbase will be reduced for future years and make balancing the budget more difficult in following years.  An additional one-off “rural efficiency” grant of approximately £41,000 was offered by Government to compensate for the disadvantages rural councils face.

At the same time the Council approved rent increases of around 4%.  Many councillors, including me, were unhappy with this proposal but were advised it was necessary in order to meet the Council’s housing debt financing requirements.

Mid Suffolk District Council is in the process of setting budgets for 2013/14.  This is against the background of further cuts in the grant Mid Suffolk receives from central Government (which will ultimately total 44% over four years) and many legislative changes that also have a financial impact.  Changes include receiving 10% less funding for council tax benefits and being able to set the rules for this at a local level -on the condition that there is no impact on pensioners.  Mid Suffolk has tried to focus this impact on second home owners and landlords of empty homes but many low income households will be financially penalised.  Again councils are being promised grants if they freeze council tax but as this grant is only for a year,  next year’s budget will have to make up for it – making next year’s financial decisions harder.  So much for localism.

Council restructure:  Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils are currently consulting on restructuring plans at the management level which is expected to result in about a 40% reduction in staff at that level.  This nearing the end of restructuring in terms of reducing numbers of managerial staff across the two councils.  Those reporting to this managerial level are the operational teams that deliver the actual services.

Young people:  Issues around young people and opportunities for work are being addressed by a Working Group of the Scrutiny Committee (that I chair).  The group hosted a workshop involving private, public and voluntary sector organisations across Mid Suffolk and Babergh districts.  It is planned to recommend some coordinated initiatives particularly to help with increasing the amount of apprenticeships and work experience programmes in our area.

Very young litter-pickers:  As you read this I hope the area around the Playing Field will be clean and free of litter as the Beaver Scouts (aged 6 to 8) will have been litter picking with me at the end of March.

The broadband infrastructure is being updated for the Stowmarket telephone exchange.  Residents in Haughley may notice work being done on the roadside “cabinets”.  I have been advised that this work has been brought forward due to local pressure and in the next few months this should result in access to better speeds for those in that area.

The draft budget for 2012/13 is being put together at Mid Suffolk.  The Council is expecting a total budget spend of just over £10 million.  Just under half of this will be met by the finance settlement from central government of approximately £4.3 million (compared to approximately £5m for 2011/12).  Income from council tax will make up most of the balance.  Currently all services are expected to be maintained, although there may be some small increases in charges, with savings coming from the programme of integration with Babergh District Council.

At the time of writing, the council has yet to make a decision on whether or not to take up the government’s offer of a one-off grant in exchange for freezing council tax.  The grant is worth £136,000 but is only valid for one year so, if accepted, to keep to the same budget next year, the council would either have to increase council tax or make significant cuts – and these could be greater if the finance settlement is reduced again.