33 Million of Cost/Savings Per Annum

[Colin]

A very poorly presented point.

Private companies don't raise Income Tax, VAT, Council Tax etc. and eitheror, raise prices.

 

Very poorly presented also.

What do you mean by suggesting that private companies " don't have to get rid of excess employees and/or raise prices"?

 

Specsavers is open and, when you've been, please re-read my post..

[Infiltrator]

[FLAME PROOF SUIT ON]

Shetland is seen nationally as a 'soft touch' for renegades, reprobates and, runaways. The cuts should start there and, should be deep and savage. Lets start looking after our own first.

[/FLAME PROOF SUIT OFF]

 

Careful Colin, the countryfolks are already up in arms thinking the toonies are getting all the money, if they then find out some of it's being handed out to immigrants (polite term for your 3 R's) there'll be riots - that is as long as the roads have been gritted

[oxna]

There seems to be a common misconception about compulsory redundancy in the Public Sector and perhaps the Unions have a part to play. Local Authority jobs are not exempt despite the Council's stance in practice to date. If there's a need to cut staff due to commercial etc considerations then as long as the correct procedures are followed then that is entirely permissible. I don't advocate compulsory redundancy other than as a last resort. However, it seems to me that there is a wholly unrealistic expectation in the Public Sector that service budgets can be cut while all staff delivering those services remain in place. What is certain, however, is that operating at a loss of £80,000 per day will, within the next few years, result in mass compulsory redundancies throughout as there will be no funds with which to pay wages. Fact.

[Frances144]

What are Corporate Services?

[unlinkedstudent]

What are Corporate Services?

 

Differs slightly from borough to borough/LA to LA. Some include Democratic Services, others don't. Think law and governance, audits, Finance; some including DS would be services for councillors (admin staff to type up minutes, etc.) and the like.

[ll]

How did this get derailed over 10 years ago?

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/2048776.stm

 

Monday, 17 June, 2002, 11:09 GMT 12:09 UK

Council job cuts denial

 

Jobs will be phased out over a four year period

Bosses at one of Scotland's smallest councils have rejected reports that they could be forced to shed up to 500 jobs after losing millions of pounds on the stock market.

Shetland Islands Council has admitted to making "substantial losses" on its reserve funds and blames its financial woes on the market crash following the 11 September attacks.

 

Savings of up to £15m a year now need to be made by the authority, but its convener has denied that could mean axing 500 of the 2,100 staff.

 

Councillor Tom Stove denied any figure had been put on the number of redundancies needed and he said he hoped they could be secured through natural wastage.

 

 

Tom Stove denied there would be 500 jobs lost

Councillor Stove said the figure of 500 was "invented by the media" and added that staff were aware of the difficulties being faced by the council.

 

He said: "I think they are all well aware of the fact that we haven't decided on any number at all.

 

"We are trying to slim down the organisation. We have given the chief officials the message that it should not affect delivery of service at the front line."

 

He added: "We're hopeful that there will be no compulsory redundancies at all, at the moment we are looking for people who want to take early retirement or take a package from us and the staff are all well aware of that."

 

Union involved

 

Morgan Goodlad, council chief executive, said the cuts are expected to be made over the next four years.

 

"The figures have been calculated and our target is now to save £15m," Mr Goodlad said.

 

"This is not a knee-jerk move, we have been looking at our financial situation for some time and these job losses are not expected all in the near future."

 

 

The council has been hit by the shares slump

He said the losses had accumulated and the council was now strapped for cash to supply its proposed services.

 

He added: "We have lost millions in recent months and therefore have no funding for our capital programme.

 

"I have called for voluntary redundancies and retirements and we will wait to see what develops with this before saying exactly how many jobs will go, obviously I hope it will be nowhere near 500."

 

A Unison union spokesman said it was concerned about the job losses but is involved in negotiations.

 

"Obviously this is a major concern for Unison and our members, and we will be working along with the council to try and ensure that we get the right result," he said.

[Infiltrator]

How did this get derailed over 10 years ago?

 

 

Bridges, windmills, tunnels, lack of Chief exec, various scandals, numerous education reviews, AHS U turn - to name a few of the distractions they've poured cash into in the last 10 years.

[owre-weel]

Ah! 10 years ago they thought they would have to axe 500 of the 2100 jobs!

So what did they do? Increased the workforce and spend, spend, spend over the last ten years. I think someone should line them up in a row and gee dem a guid spikin tae

 

I wonder if any of them have the backbone to admit they made an ar*e of it?

[oxna]

The bottom line in my view is that Local Government doesn't work as there is no financial responsibility or accountability.

[Spinner72]

A very poorly presented point.

Private companies don't raise Income Tax, VAT, Council Tax etc. and eitheror, raise prices.

 

Accepted re presentation, it was 2.30am, I stick by the point though!

 

I'd argue that the council, as in the people who have to make the cuts, can't raise all those things you mention, if they could then it would be a viable option in conjunction with cuts.

 

Conversely, private companies *can* increase prices/charge to cover shortfalls, or indeed they can even choose to simply wind up, but the council has to keep going, with all the statutory services it must provide.

 

But, we all know that already.

 

My real (poorly presented) point was that, no matter what the council proposes, a massive shift is needed in public support if it is to succeed.

[shetlandpeat]

Name me a private company that does all the functions a council does. Could there be several companies, imagine, having to deal with all those different deals.

 

S.I.C. Serco Islands Consortium

[ArabiaTerra]

How did this get derailed over 10 years ago?

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/2048776.stm

 

 

Simple. The council back then came up with an agenda to make the cuts... and we voted them out at the next election. Then the stock market picked up again and the crisis went away.

 

Looking at the figures posted earlier in the thread for the council budget, I notice the total cuts proposed come to 16% of the budget. Does this mean that all the managers are going to get a 16% pay cut? And that the number of managers is going to be cut by 16%?

 

If not, why not?

[Frankie]

 

Looking at the figures posted earlier in the thread for the council budget, I notice the total cuts proposed come to 16% of the budget. Does this mean that all the managers are going to get a 16% pay cut? And that the number of managers is going to be cut by 16%?

 

If not, why not?

 

I think the restructuring done this time last year to save on wages only applied to management level and quite a number left voluntarily or took a pay cut or were 'promoted' to a post with more responsibilities for the same pay.

[Carlos]

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/4282-sic-announces-new-managers

 

In June this year, the council agreed a slimmer management set-up, which would replace the existing structure of 75 people including one assistant chief executive, two executive directors, 16 heads of service and 56 managers with one that comprises of one chief executive, five executive directors and 32 executive managers.

 

So 75 management staff cut to 38, on headline figures at least.

[unlinkedstudent]

Name me a private company that does all the functions a council does. Could there be several companies, imagine, having to deal with all those different deals.

 

S.I.C. Serco Islands Consortium

 

Reed Employment? Well, they provide staff across the spectrum from 'shop floor' level to 'higher management' to various LAs up and down the UK, don't they? They're a private company, aren't they?