Council Budget

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  • #139095

    wrexview
    Participant

    In today’s Daily Post the Council Leader , Mark Pritchard , is reported as saying the Council will not pay for anymore consultants to tell them where to make cuts. Had the Council not wasted millions on an “anytown” template from Price Waterhouse Cooper, stopped producing the Connect magazine years earlier (£500,000 unnecessary spending), employed consultants to conclude Waterworld and Plas Madoc were only fit for demolition (£54,000 wasted),taken on an Arts Hub that is already known to be loss making , we might well have been in a much better financial position.

    #139096

    CarolThomas
    Participant

    A few years ago I would have agreed about the need to stop using consultants — that was at a time when there were some really good managers that unfoirtaianly were not being listened to by the Executive and senior management. Now many of those with knowledge have left and the vacuum left will not be filled with existing staff.

    The loss of good personnel is often the downfall of any business or institution and with so many changes already and a very large number of staff wanting to leave (if anyone has a friend or relative ask them do they want to stay or leave- not many of this that I know want to leave — far from it they would jump ship overnight given the opportunity)

    #139111

    woogleeye
    Participant

    Being a cynic of all things Wrexham Council under the current control of ‘Little & Large’ I have to wonder whether the majority of decisions have already been made behind closed doors with regards to the council budget for the coming year as we all know how open this regime has been in the past in its dealings.
    I assume that whatever happens come the 1st April 2018 expenditure on the arts hub will be ring fenced and protected up to the gills as those who voted for this project will have made one hundred percent sure that nothing gets in the way of it not being completed as they must see it as the first step in the grand plan for the regeneration of the town centre.
    I just wonder what other ideas/plans etc these people have stuck away in the broom closet and god help us if any are agreed upon whilst they merrily cut current services and look at increasing costs.

    #139116

    jimbow
    Participant

    wooggleeye. I also wonder what is in the broom cupboard. Under the Libraries Service Review in the draft it says, there could be possible changes in location. Obviously some consideration has been given to this or else it would not have been mentioned.
    Could it be, the new police station will be maybe too small and the library used for an extension?

    #139123

    wrexview
    Participant

    Having the Art Gallery and Library together in one building made sense. The Library brought people into the building and increased the footfall of the Gallery. Maybe someone has thought relocating the Library to new Arts Hub might increase footfall . Putting the Tourist Information Office within the Arts Hub might have the same effect too.

    #139124

    woogleeye
    Participant

    Common sense and the majority of our elected councillors do not seem to go together its more of we will follow the those who control us with eyes full of devotion to the cause.

    #139125

    jimbow
    Participant

    [quote quote=139123]Having the Art Gallery and Library together in one building made sense. The Library brought people into the building and increased the footfall of the Gallery. Maybe someone has thought relocating the Library to new Arts Hub might increase footfall . Putting the Tourist Information Office within the Arts Hub might have the same effect too.

    [/quote]Wrexview. You could well be right. If the Arts Hub is losing money hand over fist, a transfer of the Library and Tourist Information revenue would cover up the shortfall. The way the Council conjure up figures the Arts Hub with these additions could be self financing in three years. There again pigs might fly.

    #139192

    Anonymous
    Inactive

    So executive board members…the time is nigh.

    Are you going to vote to cut the £300000 music budget?
    Are you going to vote in favour of sacking even more council staff ?
    Are you going to vote to make us all pay more to park in our decaying town?

    remember that £43ooo that you could have saved the council by voting to take the lower salary? …..that could have kept two staff in a job.

    For once, please think about others rather than yourselves.

    #139212

    The Speaking Truth
    Participant

    Maybe if the Welsh Government coughed up a little more funding and if the council didn’t have to keep that eyesore ‘the groves’ then maybe there would be more money to go around! People want everything from nothing! Look towards the people who wanted to keep the Groves without any regard of where the funding would come from, look at how much the our government is investing down south and forgetting the north! If you look at our MP and AM, they only mention Welsh Government when there’s positive news if it’s bad news then it’s the uk government! High time the Welsh government where held to account along with members of both parliaments, look at how much they earn to represent us!

    Just look at the decisions Carwyn Jones has overruled our council on over the years! New homes with no infrastructure, health care on its knees (devolved from UK so no excuse) the list is endless. People need to start looking further afield to point blame, I realised this a while ago and it makes sense.

    Rant over!

    #139213

    JaneJ
    Participant

    I don’t think ot is a rant but a reality that the reduction in services on the ground there is a three-tier issue UK, Cardiff and Local- at all three levels there is a portion of blame to each and if we want tio be fully inclusive Europe as well although with the later Wales is a net beneficiary oe we get far more coming back than we put in from the Welsh economy. The problem with European funding coming back is that the usage is often question by Welsh Government and at a local level.

    Where else in society do you find you are paying more for less — rates are increasing year on year yet services are shrinking almost by the month. (The only other place this seems to happen is in the shops when you look at the size of a bar of chocolate compared with 10 years ago — they are a lot smaller and the price has gone up or the thickness of the chocolate on a mars bar now is so thin compared with how it could have broken your teeth because it was so thick).

    With administrations both elected and officers/civil servants who are not up to the role they hold then we will constantly be having financial mismanagement, corporate decisions that make no sense and the entire being hit time and time again.

    Once these people are elected there is no accountability – the Scrutiny system in the Council is next to useless when are their recommendations ever listened to by the ruling Executive- they regard a survey about the “Wrexham we Want” hitting just over 1000 as being good yet we have 140,000 people in Wrexham. The public need to question their local Councillor (if you can find them as so many are so elusive – you certainly won’t find them at meetings in the Guildhall despite pully down a full pay packet).

    What is needed isfor people to be motivated — 3,000 plus signatures on a petition means nothing unless you collect the details of the Councillors of all the signatories — that will start waking them up to realize that votes count when it comes to next election. Take the fight and the issues to their own community.

    Democratic accountability at all levels through the ballot box and scrutinizing your elected members and politicians is a way forward. Don’t let them off!!!

    Morning rant over!!

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