Council plans emergency talks over slashed grants
Ian Austen
AN EMERGENCY meeting of the council is being demanded to discuss the cuts crisis facing the authority.
The call from Labour opposition leader Tony Newman came after director of resources Nathan Elvery announced at Monday's cabinet meeting that Croydon was being hit harder by Government grant cuts than any other part of London.
Mr Elvery said the cuts lopped £74 million off grants across the capital, with Croydon having to bear £4.3 million of those.
The cuts include just over £2 million from education and £1.9 million from the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) grant.
Council leader Mike Fisher said on Tuesday that decisions on how the cuts would be implemented have not yet been made.
He pointed out that the cuts had come mainly in what are termed "reward" grants paid to councils for reaching targets and for projects like LEGI, from which Croydon benefited considerably.
Formula grants based on the Government's judgment of an authority's need have not been affected.
However, he added, as Croydon is already unfairly treated compared with similar boroughs, this does not do much to help the council's financial position.
The motion to be debated at the emergency meeting will call on the council to tell the Government to stop targeting Croydon.
At the same time, Labour will use the debate to demand the Tories bring forward an emergency budget to lessen the effects of the grant cuts.
Mr Newman said that abandoning plans to build a new council HQ in Fell Road should be at the top of the list for the budget.
He added: "We also want to see the end of the council's free propaganda newspaper and for the council to stop using expensive consultants.
"We all know there is pressure on public services but why Croydon has the biggest cuts in London must be the subject of public debate. It must be right that the elected representatives have the chance to speak."
Mayor of Croydon Avril Slipper will have to sanction the emergency meeting officially, but this should be a formality.
5 Comments
by Veronica, Croydon
Saturday, June 19 2010, 8:16PM
“@Dave, Croydon.
I think you need to re-read the article Dave, its about the new Con/Dem government slashing hugely the payment to the Borough. So if you call redressing the balance giving less money then that's what you have got.
@Mr Angry
The bills for the Tory/Council newspaper has gone up since 2006, not gone down or stayed the same as has the cost of consultants.”
by RobinHood, Thieves Wood Sherwood
Saturday, June 19 2010, 7:30PM
“Can the Council or the Advertiser even explain what benefits Croydon has received from the LEGI project? If,as stated,it was considerable then surely the beneficiaries
could help fund the project.”
by Veronica, Croydon
Friday, June 18 2010, 11:38PM
“We need to take stock here and think about the slagging off the Tories did re the Labour Government and its lack of funding to the Borough. It used this in election literature saying vote Tory and we would get the increase the Borough needed and deserved. Well folks voted Tory and we waited for our increase as promised. It has now been proven that those promises were false. As for the LEGI money, this was awarded to the Council by a Labour Government and has now been cut drastically by the new ConDems.
The newspaper sent out at our expense has gone up hugely in cost since the Tories took over so Tony Newman has the right to question that as a Councillor and Leader of the Opposition. Mike Fisher would ask those questions if the shoe was on the other foot and quite right too.
Another point the Tories made political gain from was the cost of consultants when Labour was in power in the Borough, but when he got in he only added to the cost.
I have no allegiance to either of these parties so am not here to make political points but as there is only the two of them in Croydon I would expect the opposition party to scrutinise every aspect on our behalf.
If the only way to get a debate on this by all the Councillors in the borough is to call an extraordinary meeting then so be it. It will be held on the same night as a full council so no extra date/room booking will be made,”
by David, Croydon
Friday, June 18 2010, 10:03PM
“The Croydon Labour party really needs to get rid of Mr Newman. This is the man whose party gave us a 27% council tax rise, or whatever it was. Anything he says has as much value as a bet on England to win the World Cup.
Yes, Croydon is treated unfairly, but this is something that happened under a LABOUR government. I wouldn't be surprised to see the balance redressed now that the Tory/Lib Dem tag-team is in control.”
by Mr Angry, Angryville
Friday, June 18 2010, 2:21PM
“"Mr Newman said that abandoning plans to build a new council HQ in Fell Road should be at the top of the list for the budget."
What an idiot. This would make no difference at all. The new office plans would 'save' money. I would be very surprised if Tony Newman passed is Maths O'Level as his grasp of very very basic economics is similar to that of a four year old.
"He added: "We also want to see the end of the council's free propaganda newspaper and for the council to stop using expensive consultants."
Tony Newman spent more money on his council newspaper and more money on consultants when yhe ran the council.
He is obssesed with 'Emergency Meetings'. And every single one is a publicity stunt. Grow up and stop acting like a child Cllr Newman.”