Council News
Aug 2010
Roger Reports... With our two main Westmorland and Lonsdale parties sharing in the national coalition government and with the Conservatives, the largest Cumbria council party, working in agreement with Labour Councillors our local political scene is on the whole fairly quiet and relationships remain amicable. There seems to be a consensus that economies aimed in the first instance of having no increase in council taxes for 2011-2012 are essential. The trouble is that we all want the cuts to be in other areas than our own. Most Cumbria politicians have accepted the imminent abolition of the North West Development Agency partly perhaps because we received relatively little of the £300m grants available and that most attention, as in the also now defunct North West Regional Assembly, seemed to be focussed on Greater Manchester and Merseyside. Yet, in some years NWRDA failed to allocate some of the funds to the conurbations. We are now clarifying our ’strategic themes’ for economic development. For the time being South Lakeland is linked with Eden because of our similar rural make up and tourist trade. But I regret that links with Barrow regeneration which impact on Ulverston and the west of the district might be weakened. On SLDC we are again considering sharing services with other districts, as we have for many years done so with Lancaster in pest control and some IT provision. Our longest debate was over the need to spend up to £50,000 on recruiting a new SLDC Chief Executive. Some of us thought that adverts in professional journals and on the web would be enough, but in the end the largest party decided on the higher sum, though several of their members abstained. A more complex South Lakeland scheme concerns the possible transfer of our remaining former council houses to an independent company. When I was first a councillor we had over 6,000 council houses, which have been reduced by half by the exceptionally high local take up under the right to buy. About ten years ago South Lakeland transferred its day to day administration to South Lakes Housing described as an ALMO - an Arms Length Management Organisation. The remaining houses could now be bought out by a new agency which take up our housing debt of £13m and pay all our housing officers, whose jobs would have the usual initial protection. Unfortunately in so doing we would have to share in servicing debts on council houses in other areas amounting to £60m, and because the cost of maintenance over a 30 year period is deducted from the sale price the average value of our properties would only be £5,600. Also it is not clear about whether other housing services, e.g. for travellers, homeless people and ex-offenders will be retained by the council. The ultimate decision will be made by the tenants - so far the Tenants Committee is divided on the issue but we look forward to clearer information in a forthcoming booklet. With 186 out of 666 survey forms (27.93%) returned, Burton’s response to a recent housing survey was below the 35% Cumbria average. 32 responses indicated a desire to move within the parish; 2 responders wanted to set up separate households and 2 were already on the ’council’ waiting list. 14 households were identified as needing affordable housing. 29 responders said that they would object to a small number of new homes being built but 147 would welcome a few homes ’for locals. The recent shootings in Cumbria and Northumberland has re-opened the debate over the need for a larger police area perhaps for the whole North West. Already on the county council there is opposition from local members over the transfer of the Fire and Rescue HQ to more central premises at Penrith which, in the current phrase, will result in ’efficiency savings.’ We’ll see! Meanwhile the Fire Service is continuing its FREE Home Safety Checks - which normally take only 30 minutes. If you would like a visit please ring 0800 358 4777, and don’t forget the hosepipe ban. Best wishes |
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