Buckinghamshire County Council and devolution Martin Tett Leader - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Buckinghamshire County Council

‘Buckinghamshire County Council and devolution’

Martin Tett Leader of Buckinghamshire County Council

Buckinghamshire County Council

Today’s reality……

Buckinghamshire County Council

The current financial situation……

• It’s very bleak…..
• Upper tier authorities under severe financial

pressure due to children’s and Adults’ responsibilities.

• Large overspend if no action taken
• Budget ‘freeze’ on all but essential

expenditure to stop overspending.

• Reserves running low
• Cost of funding the Living Wage
• Plans in place to stop overspending

Current situation is unsustainable.

Buckinghamshire County Council

Today’s Spending Review announcements

George Osborne will announce further cuts later today, but what do we expect?

• £20 billion in Departmental savings?
• DCLG - 30% cut over next three years?
• Focus on more house building?
• Referendum ‘cap’ to remain at 2%
• 2% extra precept for Social Care?
• Retention of Business Rates unlikely to plug gap in

future? Definitely no champagne on ice for later!

Buckinghamshire County Council

The experience on the ground will change….

• Council will be forced to go ‘back and up’
• Less direct provision on the ground
• More strategic, more enabling approach
• Focus on statutory and essential spend, less on

discretionary But….

• Does this give Parish and Town Councils a new

window of opportunity?

• A space for innovation, A space not seen since the

1974 local government reorganisation?

Buckinghamshire County Council

‘Space for Innovation and Ambition’

• Opportunity open and growing

for those with ambition

• Potential for new ways to

collaborate to emerge – both between BCC and parishes and between parishes

• Role of civic society could

develop further charity groups/Vol Sector etc.

• BCC is ideologically committed

to greater role for parish councils

• Aim to build capacity with you.

Buckinghamshire County Council

‘Final thoughts….’

• The public sector has fundamentally changed

permanently.

• We are spending £100m less than we did five years

ago and there’s nearly £50m more still to save.

• Your ambition is key.
• Higher parish precepts to fund local improvements?
• We all need to think/act differently.
• The window of opportunity is now….