Shropshire Council could axe 50 projects to save £30m
Thursday 10th February 2011, 1:20PM GMT.
Fifty schemes across Shropshire are set to be axed in a bid to save more than £30 million over the next five years, it was revealed today.
Long awaited projects such as the Shrewsbury West End Road improvements, work on the market hall in Ellesmere and the Ludlow Transport Hub scheme have all been included in a hit-list drawn up by Shropshire Council chiefs.
A proposed £150,000 saving has been suggested by withdrawing funding for gipsy sites in the county.
The plans are expected to save £19 million next year alone with a total of £31.5 million by 2014/15.
Shropshire Council officers are recommending the projects are cut in a report to members of the authority’s cabinet next Tuesday.
But a number of schemes are also set to be safeguarded for the future including the redevelopment of the historic Flax Mill in Shrewsbury and the proposed Market Drayton Inner Relief Road.
Other projects that are set to escape the axe include the £7 million plan to turn Shrewsbury’s Music Hall into a visitor and heritage centre as well as the Oswestry depot replacement for the Whittington and Alexander Road Depots.
Keith Barrow, leader of Shropshire Council, today said it would be a “tough” decision to scrap the 50 schemes from the authority’s capital programme, but claimed they had little choice in the face of unprecedented Government cutbacks.
He said: “Originally with the capital programme we were going to borrow money and that borrowing was going to be paid for out of revenue but that’s our problem.
“We have had to cut our cloth to what we can afford and we can’t afford to borrow money and pay the interest on that.
Some aspirational projects which were in the pipeline are no longer affordable at the moment but that isn’t to say they are off the agenda forever.”
One of the schemes set for the axe is the £1.5 million needed to upgrade cremators at Emstrey Crematorium. The council is currently considering selling off the site along with cemeteries across the county to a private firm.
Mr Barrow said: “An awful lot of time and effort has gone into this process. It wasn’t easy but we have come up with the best possible solution we can.”
By Russell Roberts
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what about the incinerator ?
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Come on Star – list the 50 schemes so people have as much time as possible to fight for their scheme (or agree!).
I note you (the Star) went out of your way to single out the gipsy sites. What about the rest?
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What about axing some of the senior managers, after all, if there are going to be less staff and fewer projects what will they be neede to manage?
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Interesting point.
Perhaps those who are facing redundancy within the county council already know about a number of very well paid *senior* posts being advertised by the council. No doubt one of the numerous communications officers employed will be able to come up with an excuse as to why.
The posts can be seen buried away on the council webpage under VACANCIES and include a “Group Manager for Business Growth and Prosperity (up to £85k)” “Group Manager for Public Protection (up to £85k)” “Corporate Head of Finance and Commerce (up to £100k)” and “Area Director (up to £110k)”
These posts and salaries are being advertised by a council that is going to close schools,cut bus services to outlying communities, close public toilets, and plans to do far worse over the next three years.
Obscene. And in the meantime, you’ll be lucky if there is anyone left to sweep the local High Streets.
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well said jeepers i saw the adverts too and nearly fell over with the pay, in a recession! that is a sick joke and a red rag to the unions to strike i bet
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capital spending is the driver of economic growth in our nation though, so i would rather see big projects kept and running costs reduced instead, we need some big projects especially road and rail to restart the economy round here
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Never mind Asif you can visit the tiny but expensive to the tax payer Railway Museum at Abbey Foregate marking an apparently interesting previous railway company that went bust decades ago. It appears to be going ahead at full speed as I am pretty certain it would have been cut in this April’s new budget.
Quite what tourism it will attract I am sceptical as most of the many railway museums around actually run a train also but as one of the directors is a councillor our money will be spent on this particular project, no problem.
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The Service economy like museums is a sizeable means of income in a country who’s government have thrown down the toilet its industrial base for a quick Buck since the 70s. Now it looks like they’ve gone the next step, they’re throwing away everything and leaving it a cheap, nasty place to be enjoyed by for those who are financially independant. I heard the WI are going to be running the front line of the NHS and Ryanhair the finances ;)
Just because you don’t know about it doesn’t mean pronouncing it useless is helping the situation. Go out find out – come back and report.
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ax the public art budget whilst your at it m8!
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I feel that the ljc’s should no longer waste money on bell ringers and art shows and the usual tripe they give money to and help the locals have basic transport and basic services if people want to put shows and so on then they should find the funding from bag packing or car washing i think people need arts but find the funding from somewhere other then the tax payers.
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Axe the Shrewbury Town Council and put all services under the Shropshire Council. It cannot take too many managers to organise the swings and plant a few flowers. There are too many concillors and administrative staff for a town of our size.
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It should be the other way around. Shropshire Council is too big to organise anything properly. The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing half the time. Always thought that Shropshire was too large a county to all fit under one single authority.
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Where really do people think the money is to pay for all of the projects now being cut. Local Government costs at least 40% of GDP, which means the rest of us, in industry, pay.
We are coming out of the worse recession since the war, combined with the incompetence of the previous government controlling the greed of bankers.
Wake up and smell the coffee.
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Your figures are WRONG dude, the entire public sector is about 40% of GDP, Local authorities which include police, fire, primary care trusts, parish, town and county councils and the regional and national assemblies in some countries are about 1/5 of that, so a more accurate assessment of fact would suggest that local government represents about 8% of GDP in the UK, which makes you look pretty bad hey, being out by 5 times, I dont suppose maths in your strong point with a name like Baz though
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Dear Baz, You ask where is the money to come from? – well how about the £100billion of so a year in unpaid tax (avoided via various schemes & evaded) from corporations like Vodafone (£6billion), Boots, HSBC, Topshop Arcadia group etc. ? Phillip Green sent 1.5billion to his wife in tax haven Monaco, & paid not a penny in income tax!!! Also how about taxing to death all those obscene bankers bonuses? Barclays boss still got £9M THIS YEAR!
Come to the march Sat 19th Feb Shirehall 11am
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which ones?? i hope not the flaxmill!
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the could get rid of the unpopular plan for burning rubbish in harlescott for starters, i think thats a cut we would all welcome
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Look at this article for the list guys:
http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2011/02/10/shropshire-council-pledge-after-massive-cuts-announced/
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How about council top management taking the same hit as council workers?
ie.a cut in hours,a cut in expenses and a cut in jobs.
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i notice thy all unfairly seem to be in shrewsbury and in Oswestry where cllr barrow lives!!
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THE HEADLINE SHOULD BE SHROPSHIRE COUNCIL COULD SAVE £30 M ON MANAGEMENT
THE WHOLE PLACE IS BLOATED WITH TOP HEAVY OVERPAID MANAGERS
THEIR CHEIF EXEC EARNS MORE THAN THE PRIME MINISTER, HOW SHAMEFUL FOR A MAN TO MAKE SUCH CUTS WHEN HE EARNS MORE THAN DAVID CAMERON
WHY NOT A JOINT CHEIF EXEC WITH TELFORD AND WREKIN, WHY NOT A PAY CUT FOR THE TOP EARNERS?
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im concerned to see Shrewsbury capital programme being cut, Shrewsbury is the engine of growth, it would be more prudent to cut back in the rural areas where investment has much more limited returns. Shrewsbury should be a priority for all of Shropshire
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The vacancies advertized are only the positions the council were not able to fill from current staff. Many of these management posts have already been fill with the salary’s quoted.
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as a local builder, can i say this is the last thing the local economy needs right now, i thought tories were supposed to be business friendly, scrapping all this work is private sector jobs up in smoke
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false economy to cut capital spending as alot of these things like new buildings and roads reduce the running costs of services like highways, its a bit like the false economy of buying a cheap old banger which then needs loads of maintenence, youre better buying a newwer more quality care
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