Budget Update

Progressive Independent Group Amendments

Today the Progressive Independent Group submitted its amendment proposals to the Leadership of FODDC.

We have sent them to all Leaders, in good faith with the aim of delivering a viable and sustainable Forest of Dean budget.

The Highlight of the amendment is an intention to deliver 2 hours free parking on FODDC car parks, in line with the wishes of many Businesses and community members. 

We need to examine whether such a move does boost our town centre and local economy as many feel it will. The only way to truly find out and to evidence what needs to be done with our Car Parks is a 12 month trial.
While it is never a good idea to budget for losses, the expected loss in income of two hours free income is offset by using funding budgeted for what we consider to be unnecessary growth items.

 
We don't need to spend 75K (25k per year for 3 years ) on an environmental theatre group to spread the word on climate change or council finances, We have a comms team

We don't need to spend 22K on a consultant to tell our environmental officers what to do about climate emergencies , and we don't need to spend another 48K for yet another biodiversity officer, we already have a good team in place for the size of our district and our councils responsibilities.

We don't need to budget for 10 cabinet members at an extra average cost of £7500 for each post, Reducing to 7 saves over £22K alone
By removing this spending, we can fill the income loss on the car parks, we can keep frontline services intact, we can deliver cycle parking and EV charging points and even put some money back into reserves.

Much of this was planned for this year by the previous administration.

 Following Covid it was important to allow a period  of calm before addressing the car park situation full on, 2024 is the time to do it,
Cllr Bernie O'Neill will deliver the amendment proposals in Thursday's meeting.We hope both the current cabinet and other councillors will view our proposals positively. It's not about damaging the Greens or political point scoring, it's what we think is best.

Bernie's amendment will read as follows :
Progressive Independent Group AmendmentsThe Progressive independent Group proposes the following amendments to the Cabinet's final budget which are for Car Parking Charges on page 55, and its growth proposals as set out on page 69 of the agenda, and a reduction in the size of Cabinet.Car Parking charges.

The amendment which we are proposing is to replace the Cabinets' proposed tariffs laid out on page 55 by the following:-The first 2 hours will be free of any charge in all Forest of Dean owned Car Parks, and the current fees will remain for 2-3 hours at £1.00, 3-4 hours at £1.50 and all day at £2.00 and a weekly ticket at £6.00. The previous administration had commenced a review into Car Parks and the Public toilets associated with them, and we urge the current Cabinet to review the situation throughout the coming year. During this time, we ask that the Cabinet investigates and reports on whether some spaces could be provided for the overnight stays for motor homes, as some authorities do. This is an area which the previous administration would have looked at. During the year it will be an opportunity to see just what effect these charges would have, particularly the first 2 hours free.

To remove growth items.

We propose the removal of the following Growth items, and extra Cabinet members :-

 Policy and Strategy, Cross Border Issues, 

Future Generations & Health& Wellbeing 

Public Engagement £25,0006. 

Environment, Wildlife, Heritage & Culture (inc waste & recycling & AONB designation

 Consultancy £22,0009. 

Planning Policy, Performance, 

Shared Working & Climate Emergency 

Biodiversity Net Gain (officer resource) £43,980

Therefore Remove Growth, £90,980

Remove Member allowances( 3 Cabinet) £23,268

(When Council was 48 members Cabinet consisted of 6 members (12.5%) and when the Council membership was reduced to 38 the first Cabinet was 7 members and ended with 5. (13%). It currently is 8 out of 38 (21%). Whilst recognising that the Leader can set the size of Cabinet up to 10, some thought should be given to an optimum number.) 

Total saved £114,248

Best Estimate for loss of income for free 2 hours - £65,063 

Therefore, 

Move to reserves £49,185

We believe that there are opportunities to use some of the money saved above, in other ways.One area we have looked at is the provision of cycle racks at the Council Offices. A rack of 12 places, plus 4 Electric bike charging stations can be set up for around £11,000.

Updated GREEN PARTY Budget .

There was once a politician who said she was not for turning, The Greens are making U turns a weekly event .

The Greens it would seem have stepped away from the catastrophic abyss that was their proposals for £2 and hour parking charges .
Following unprecedented public outcry at the proposals from businesses, parish and town councils and individuals, added to  our own alternative budget that was announced last weekend and gained massive support, the Greens have done another complete U Turn and gone from insisting the charges needed to be £2 for the first hour ( its currently 50p) to the first hour now being free ( we have proposed and evidenced how 2 hours free was not only possible but would make a huge difference to our towns) and at least a 200% rise after the first hour. Theres also mention of a overnight charge  of £50 but no mention of how this will be policed or the costings. .

Now one's first thought is to welcome such a climbdown, even if it doesn't go far enough.However, closer inspection of this revised budget reveals concerns that need much further examination.
For instance, without mention in their preamble, there appears to be a near 12% cut in funding for our Leisure services. What will this mean for the future operation , repair and improvement to our swimming pools, gyms and sports pitches ?

The near £179k losses on the car parks, on closer scrutiny include figures from those dark years of Covid, of lockdowns etc, when no car parks were being used and teh Council received grant funding to assist high street recovery.
Hardly representative of a normal period on which to evidence a budget ?
There are even more climate officer staff roles now in the budget, the potential theatre group production about climate change is still there as is the £22k set aside for consultancy for climate issues.
So we are hiring more climate officers and immediately telling them we need to hire a climate consultant to tell them what to do!
They are still budgeting for ten cabinet members ( twice as many as were in place at the end of the last administration) and also now an officer to assist those ten cabinet members and the leader as they are clearly far too busy to write their own emails and letters.
Sort of a Green Party PA.

All this following three weeks of the Green Leader, The named Leader of the Council informing you all in full page spreads on both local newspapers that we simply must accept higher charges, it was absolutely necessary , couldn't be avoided, would be good for the council, the towns, the businesses and the environment. He is even in today's Forest Review.

We would , hes told us ,have affordable attractive wonderful car parks, with thriving businesses ,wonderful places for people to visit and the Council would be making £200k out of it as well , a win-win , he said.

But now, out of the blue ( or Green) they are able to make a change in their proposals , and make the first hour free.

If we didn't know better, we would suggest that those council groups who support the Green administration and voted them into place have managed to do a deal with them.

One can envisage the conversation

"We will support your budget and vote it through , if you do this or that ", it really has gone back to the bad old days of pre meetings and the like.

Indeed we know this is indeed the case.

On Wednesday afternoon, The Greens held a budget support group meeting for all other councillors.Budget support groups were designed to discuss next steps the council might take, to develop strategy based on consultation and opportunities. To guide the Leadership.
So we have Councillors, perhaps representing you ,thinking they were taking part in planning to develop budget strategy .

However at the very same time  a parish council is posting the draft minutes from its  full meeting the night before.
In those draft minutes it is revealed that Cllr Phillip Burford, leader of the Independent group, and someone who alongside members of his group and The Labour Group supported the Greens taking over the administration by voting for them, is informed enough to feel able to assure the parish council that the Car Parking charge rises had been removed.

Before , other District Councillors had been informed and at the same time councillors were taking part in a strategic meeting to plan and advise what to do.

All done and dusted , by phone call or private meeting it would appear.
All seems rather undemocratic does it not, perhaps there was a concern that this abysmal and damaging budget might threaten the "coalition by agreement "that is currently running the council.

So much for Green and in particular the Green Leader principles . ( the moral compass of the groups mentioned has already been displayed by them giving the leadership of the council to a party, they often described as dangerous, delusional and damaging).

Groucho Marx, another comedic actor type once said
“ Those are my principles , what I demand from myself,,,,,,, and if you don't like them I have another set of principles.
Politics of any level is not always a pleasant place to reside.

This new budget however is still not right for the Forest of Dean.
It remains wet finger in the wind stuff about the costs of Publica etc .

It doesn't address the future of the town centres and car parking and just offers short term mid range appeasement.

The Portfolio pots for
Housing Town and Parish Councils ( Inc town centre development ) goes down from £188k to £109 K , cut by £79k
Sports ,Leisure, Tourism, Arts and Communities ( inc Community safety ) goes down from £681k to £608k a cut of £73k

However

The reserved pot for

Environment and Wildlife inc waste and recycling goes up by £500k
And a pot including Climate Emergency goes up by £50K.
It is clear where priorities lie and also that thanks to the support from the groups mentioned the Greens will get their budget accepted and continue their path.
The Green Party protests that you're either doing something about the climate emergency or you're not.
You're either proactively involved or you're a Climate change denier, a saint or a sinner, educated or ignorant, environmentalist or capitalist.
That myth needs to be destroyed, there's nothing wrong with doing your bit, just doing what you're able to do without damaging other areas, or forgoing opportunity.

You can be Climate Emergency aware  but also housing emergency aware, business emergency aware , sports clubs emergency aware , town centre emergency aware.

The weaponising of the Climate Emergency and the enviroment has to stop , It is simply divisive and actually stopping people wanting ro get involved.

There needs to be so much more explanation , so much more scrutiny of this budget, Where did the £200K projected income from parking come from in the first place and where has it gone now? How are those reported “losses” being covered if we are still spending such large amounts on climate emergency issues and ideas.

Simply put , we think the public needs more time to examine such a turnaround in major budget proposals and will be requesting an extended consultation period. Similarly we will continue to examine the proposals.

A budget U Turn to protect the leadership and their Council props and not one designed to promote and assist the Forest of Dean is not a budget our group will support