The Ward Councillors will give an update on issues they have been involved in within the ward and discuss the potential impact of the Government’s spending cuts.
Minutes:
COUNCIL BUDGET
Councillor Palmer explained the current budget situation that faced the Council, stating that it would be a very difficult time. He explained that the government wanted to tackle the public sector deficit as quickly as possible over the next four years. There had been in-year cuts and would be further cuts over the next few years. An estimated £18million would be cut in the next financial year, amounting to £300 per citizen. The Council would be going through a process to work out its budget and tough decisions would have to be made which would affect all parts of the Council.
He explained that in the city, amongst other things, transport schemes had been affected and free swimming for under-16s had been stopped by government (although this had been continued by the Council over the last summer holidays.) He also stated that Leicester would be more affected than other areas, as it was not able to collect as much from Council tax due to the high number of low banded houses.
Residents asked whether sufficient efforts were made to collect Council Tax owing. Councillor Palmer replied that extra resources had been put into this and it had vastly improved. However, Council Tax was only a small proportion of the Council’s income.
ELECTED MAYOR
Councillor Palmer reported that the Council was proposing to have an elected mayor. A final decision would be made on 22 December, and, if agreed, the first mayor would be elected on 5 May 2011. The mayor would be directly elected by residents, giving every elector a say, which would give the mayor a clear mandate, rather than the current leader who was appointed by councillors. A mayor would be elected for a four year term and would have greater powers than a leader. Although the government’s Localism Bill sought to hold referendums in large cities, Leicester was still required to follow current legislation and make a decision before the end of the year. It was noted that the Localism Bill also proposed significant changes to planning rules.
In response to residents’ questions and concerns, Councillor Palmer stated that having an elected mayor would not increase costs, as the post replaced the leader, who currently received an allowance. A referendum would cost the Council. The mayor would choose his or her own Cabinet. It was not possible at this stage to confirm what the mayor’s increased powers would be and whether they would take on the Chief Executive’s role.
In response to concerns about the level of consultation, Councillor Palmer stated that there had been a much higher response rate than most other authorities. Councillors had proposed an elected mayor to increase democracy in the city. Concerns about potential celebrity candidates should not be used as a reason for not doing it.
Councillor Palmer offered to give a further update when more details were known, such as precise powers, role, costs and how it would affect the community. He also offered to have an update on developments with the Localism Bill.