Following a reduction of £106 million from Somerset County Council's government grant the Conservative administration has reluctantly made the first round of decisions to reduce services in order to balance the Council's budget.
Conservative Leader of Somerset County Council John Osman explained that "this year I wanted to start the budget process early, so that more time could be spent speaking to residents and community groups that could be affected by the changes, so that where appropriate we can change proposals to stop or mitigate any impact".
Savings will be made by reorganising some Council Departments, implementing more stringent checks on the councils expenditure in childrens social care and increasing the councils income from some services.
The decisions were not welcomed by all political parties and Cllr Osman responded to strong criticism from the Liberal Democrats. "I am appalled by the Liberal Democrats conduct in relation to the budget. In three consultation meetings leading up to the budget they only asked one question upon the £4 million pounds of savings. Despite having sight of the proposals for over a month, they failed to make a single constructive suggestion upon the budget, their Councillors are failing to represent the residents of Somerset".
The Liberal Democrats also criticised the spending of £15,000 on a consultation exercise called "The Balancing Act" has been used at 20 road show events and will continue to be used for the next 4 years to consult on the budget process. The consultation exercise is available on the County Councils website and so far it has received 8000 responses. Cllr Osman stated " Consulting with residents is one of the most important things the council can do. This consultation has been the most successful in Somerset County Councils history and the administration will continue to consult. I am sorry that the Opposition Leader does not think it is important to speak and listen to residents".
The Council made £4 million pounds work of savings, however in its February meeting it is anticipating having to make up to £23 million pounds of further savings. Cllr Osman concluded "I wish we did not have to take these decisions, however we live in the real world where tough choices have to be made to pay for the increased number of Adults and children in our care and deal with the reducing government budget therefore the Council reluctantly has to make budget reductions. We will continue talking and listening to our residents to make sure we make the right decisions where we can."
Notes to the Editor
• Somerset Council (Full Council) met on 20th November 2013. The Agenda can be found here
• The Motion was 'Item 7 on the Agenda under 'Leaders Report"
• The Motion was both Proposed and Seconded by Conservative Councillors
• The Motion was supported by Members across Parties
• Conservative led Somerset County Council is committed to delivering essential services to vulnerable residents, as set out in the County Plan