Author Topic: CCBC costs and cutting  (Read 150291 times)

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Offline norman08

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #360 on: January 28, 2020, 04:04:10 pm »
You mentioned Jennings and about the tendering process, Jennings seem to get all the council work, ( dumping all the rocks on north shore, moving the sand 2/6 times + a year, now we have the crew with the garden waste, how many tenders went in for that 🤔.

Offline Meleri

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #361 on: January 28, 2020, 04:32:38 pm »
Another worrying item that came up in a recent CCBC meeting which was pointed out by a Councillor was, taking on an Ash die back team. The proposed Project Manager G10 Scale would be on a salary of £57,000 plus there would be two Inspectors on £38,000 each & Admin £27,000. The Councillor questioned (rightly so) does it warrant a Manager on such a high wage to manage three people, couldn't the post be Manager/Inspector to save money. I thought this was a good idea but a CCBC representative said no.


Offline SteveH

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #362 on: January 28, 2020, 04:52:04 pm »
Ash dieback team......   :-[ Thats the first I have heard about this disease.  https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/pest-and-disease-resources/ash-dieback-hymenoscyphus-fraxineus/   Those figures are ridiculous, this is the sort of decision making scenario, that makes rate payers very scared.

Online Ian

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #363 on: January 28, 2020, 05:38:04 pm »
If it's going to be dealt with on local levels, then surely their own Parks and Gardens depts can do it, with a simple  extra body or two to act as Ash Die Back specialists.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline SteveH

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #364 on: January 28, 2020, 06:36:39 pm »
If it's going to be dealt with on local levels, then surely their own Parks and Gardens depts can do it, with a simple  extra body or two to act as Ash Die Back specialists.

Also if a specialist is needed, I suggest share one among the local boroughs, like an area manager.

Offline Bri Roberts

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #365 on: January 28, 2020, 06:40:28 pm »
Meanwhile, our schools are having to make unwanted redundancies to help meet these cuts.

Online Ian

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #366 on: January 28, 2020, 07:12:32 pm »
If it's going to be dealt with on local levels, then surely their own Parks and Gardens depts can do it, with a simple  extra body or two to act as Ash Die Back specialists.

Also if a specialist is needed, I suggest share one among the local boroughs, like an area manager.

Indeed. the very plan put forward when the entirely unnecessary CCBC was formed in the first place.  Let me think-how did that work out?
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline norman08

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #367 on: January 28, 2020, 08:33:31 pm »
Let's go back to the good old town councils, never any waste then wouldn't have to payout on this shower of county councilors.

Offline SteveH

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #368 on: February 07, 2020, 11:43:13 am »
I have always thought that the age ratio in the county was never treated fairly by the WG.............


A council leader told a Welsh Government minister “we have a higher ratio of over-65s in Conwy than Japan” in a letter pleading for extra funding.

Cllr Sam Rowlands, leader of Conwy council, revealed he was highlighting to Welsh local government minister Julie James how social care was one example of funding where he feels the authority is not being supported.

The council received the joint second-lowest amount of cash in Wales which he says has forced his cabinet to ask for a 7% rise in council tax this year – coming on top of a 9.6% hike in 2019.  cont... https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/18218876.we-65s-japan-sam-rowlands-tells-welsh-government/

Offline SteveH

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #369 on: February 14, 2020, 12:32:12 pm »
How first time buyers could grab a bargain in Snowdonia National Park with £100k grant thrown in
Conwy council announced the scheme to get empty properties back into circulation

"Money taken from developers will be used to help first time buyers renovate empty homes as part of an innovative new council grant scheme."

"The figures also revealed Conwy is sitting on more than £2.3m in section 106 contributions but more than half-a-million had already been earmarked for projects by April 2019, including the First time Buyer Grants.

The money needs to spent within a certain amount of time or it has to be returned to developers. Conwy council handed back £11,136 in 2018-19 due to one developer scaling back plans, which warranted a smaller contribution.

The authority said, as of February this year, it still had £1.77m of developer contributions yet to be allocated to projects ranging from Welsh language to flood defence and regeneration projects."

more    https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/how-first-time-buyers-could-17747411

Offline SteveH

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #370 on: February 17, 2020, 02:50:05 pm »
Many years ago a leaflet delivered to the house gave details of the funds received from Conwy's  recycling, at the time I was seriously impressed with the figures, but nothing since, I think 2013, in an article today Gwynedd , states    "This material is usually sold on for a profit which in, itself brings in an average income to the council of £700,000 a year - the equivalent of a one per cent council tax rise."
It would be good to know todays figures, although knowing our lot they are giving it away.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/behind-scenes-gwynedds-biggest-recycling-17751918



Offline SteveH

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #371 on: February 27, 2020, 05:27:19 pm »
A LESSER council tax increase of 4.95 per cent is now being considered for Conwy.

Cllr Sam Rowlands, leader of the Council, has presented the latest information on the 2020/21 Budget to Cabinet colleagues, in preparation for the final decision by Council next week.

A protest to 'freeze council tax' took place on Saturday after it was initially proposed householders face a threat of a seven per cent increase in council tax.

Cllr Rowlands said: "The Revenue Budget is one of the most important considerations that we make during the course of the Council’s year. The planning for 2020/21 has been especially difficult due to the timing of the provisional settlement and how late in the day the final settlement will be made available to us.

“The majority of our budget goes to schools and social care and we need to ensure we can deliver the best possible services for these groups in the current, challenging financial climate.”

“I’m pleased that we’ve been able to recommend to next week’s Council meeting a lesser Council Tax increase of 4.95 per cent. Clearly we must consider all the pressures and demands on council services when setting the budget and council tax.”

The recommendation put forward by Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet on Thursday, February 27 will be presented to Council on Thursday, March 5 for the final decision.    ref Pioneer

Offline norman08

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #372 on: February 27, 2020, 07:25:54 pm »
Steve most of this lot said they would put it up 16/7 % it worried people in the end it was 9'6 % , this lot put it out it could have to be 7%, let's not forget elections comming up next few years, oh to get 4.5 % £1.7 mill will be taken out of education.

Offline Meleri

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #373 on: February 29, 2020, 05:41:09 pm »
At the Scruiting Committee meeting Cllr Philip Capper mentioned there was 1.3 million unallocated funds, so proposed they use part of it to set Council Tax at 4.95% & the remainder to go into Education & it was passed. It then went to Cabinet & again passed & now will go to the Full Council next week. I don't know where you are getting your facts from Norman but I haven't seen anything like them & I have been following this for a while. We have to stop blaming our Councillors for this, as it's all down to The Welsh Government & the unfair way they have of allocating funding. Conwy County have the highest rate of elderly in the world & the Welsh Government refuse to recognise this. Conwy's recent settlement from WG was the 2nd lowest in all of Wales, so the Leader went down to Cardiff to see if he could make them see the problem we have with the cost incurred by the elderly, but they refused to take it into consideration after what was said. The way of calculating what each County gets is most unfair & five of the North Wales Counties got the lowest settlements. So as you see it's like banging their heads against a brick wall & the South will always come first.
Cllr Ronnie Hughes had an unusual take on it, he said why don't we have our own Welsh Government up here in North Wales & make our own decisions with our own budgets, which was food for thought. Another thing he pointed out was if we have now left the EU why are we still paying them £250,000 out of our funds.

Offline SteveH

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Re: CCBC costs and cutting
« Reply #374 on: March 01, 2020, 11:10:09 am »
The Welsh Government & the unfair way they have of allocating funding. Conwy County have the highest rate of elderly in the world & the Welsh Government refuse to recognise this. Conwy's recent settlement from WG was the 2nd lowest in all of Wales, so the Leader went down to Cardiff to see if he could make them see the problem we have with the cost incurred by the elderly, but they refused to take it into consideration after what was said. The way of calculating what each County gets is most unfair & five of the North Wales Counties got the lowest settlements. So as you see it's like banging their heads against a brick wall.

I agree the need for fairer funding taking into account the above average number of our elderly population, should be taken into account for both local social services and the NHS, and more should be done to stress this point with our politicians.