Wrexham Council accounts to 31 March 2013
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Posts
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It’s a little alarming to see in the press that a WCBC is quoting that it has to be run like a business by maximising income and minimising spend.
Business is a trading entity that makes profit in a competitive environment where customers have choices. Products generally take generations to attract a loyal customer base.
The Council is to provide for all those in the community, and it’s primary objectives are surely cohesion, education, health, well-being.
Maximising income and minimising spend potentially puts those in need of support most from the community, in a more challenged, if not impossible, position.
WCBC needs to focus on efficiency of its overall performance, and encouraging a naturally vibrant economy that delivers good jobs with good earnings.
This thread had some interesting exchanges about the total revenue and total spend of the Council. The budget is clearly at the top of the list of the Council, and this could surely be debated on the web openly for everyone to see and understand the priorities chosen and the decision making progress.
Small corporate entities turning over £250m would ask each department manager to set out a draft budget for the next year or 3 years, and then present and debate this before the directors. It this was to happen on the web broadcast, everyone would understand the debate, and may have the opportunity to ask questions or put forward views.
This meeting looked at the accounts for the last year:
26/06/2014 Minutes : Audit Committee
The accounts were published in a report:
https://www.wrexham.gov.uk/MinutesData/Audit/Reports/hf2914.pdf
In this meeting, or any other meeting, where does anyone say, what was our budget for this year, and then how did we do against that budget. And then based on these accounts, does our budget for the year we are in, and the next year, look acceptable. And then based on all that is changing in the community and the country generally, can we consider a much better way of budgeting and spending money and giving much better value for money, in this year, and the next year (referred to in the reports as constant monitoring and review).
@wxm 9839 wrote:
With WCBC and councillors reading these forums, and with very genuine issues and very genuine resolutions being raised in these forums; surely it is a reasonable place to expect democratically elected or appointed people to ENGAGE and CONSULT and DEBATE issues within the community? This electronic publication, is as representative of community interests as is any other daily or weekly publication that’s been out there for a very long time . . . surely it would be good to see facts and proposals being posted and reported . . . the ‘open meetings’ of the Council are for a closed few in attendance?
Systemic corruption
Systemic corruption (or endemic corruption) is corruption which is primarily due to the weaknesses of an organization or process. It can be contrasted with individual officials or agents who act corruptly within the system.I think ignorance and lack of knowledge is more appropriate. To understand this level of detailed accounting you would really need some level of business financial understanding. If you look down the list of Councilors and their professional/work experience there are only a handful that may have any idea how to read the information and what is behind the figures. You can’t possibly scrutinze anything if you don’t have a grasp of the issues which is clearly the case with the Council Budget.
Wherever you go in the world, governing bodies of organisations use accounts. If they are complicated, technical people explain how they are constructed, and what money came in, what was spent, and what for. They are at the centre of any budget or measurements, and councillors surely accepted this duty and responsibility when they took office, along with paid officers.
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