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News and Comment November 2022

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18 November - Putin’s War, Covid or twelve years of Tory incompetence? Which is to blame?

Finance DirectorBexley Council’s Cabinet met on Tuesday to assess the current state of their budgeting. I suppose they have done quite well to be still scraping by after 16 years of slash and burn compared to their colleagues in Westminster who in only twelve years have driven the British economy on to the rocks through poor policy decisions which they absolutely refuse to recognise and pushing half the population into penury.

What did Bexley’s financial fiddlers have to say for themselves?

The Director said that as at the end of September with both inflation and interest rates having “a detrimental impact” there is a £1·6 million overspend which is £400,000 worse than a month earlier. ‘Places’ is the problem particularly waste services. Recyclables are not providing the expected income. Parking revenue is down too. It would have been worse had it not been for an unexpected government grant and £3·1 million drawn from reserves to cover pay awards.

The Capital spend is down by £39 million due to reduced expenditure on SEN schools, on Erith developments, BexleyCo and highways. Council Tax collection is more difficult than it was too.
Cuts

Slippage of projects into future years.

Cabinet Member David Leaf blamed global pressures, Covid and Putin’s War for the present situation but appeared to contradict the Director on the subject of Tax collection.

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services regurgitated his near standard issue speech about higher quality services at lower costs. Keeping more children within their own family circles has been a priority and it obviously saves money but costs are rising. Recruitment is difficult. Nine years ago permanent social worker staff measured around 30% and that figure rose 90% at its best but is falling again with increased ‘churn’.

Cabinet Member Peter Craske spoke only about the impact of Covid on the economy while it would be more accurate to say that it was the lockdown which did the damage. Who would have guessed that closing the economy down for well over two years would do irreparable harm?

Labour Leader Stefano Borella said the outlook for Bexley was bleak but blamed the Truss/Kwarteng budget that never was for it. Putin etc. were incidentals but his assertion that the present crisis was “made in Downing” Street is all too obviously true. In Bexley “schools are on their knees” he said.

The meeting was a short one, Councillor Craske famously described by the News Shopper in 2012 as “a 42 year old man from Sidcup” needed to get home to celebrate his birthday.

 

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