Wednesday 13th December, 2023
Colchester City Council is looking to ‘reset’ – which sounds ominous, especially if you’re a City Council employee.
The Cabinet meeting on 19th December will discuss the 2023 End of Year Update and Forward Look to Reset the Council:
“This meeting is the final Cabinet meeting of 2023 which has been a year of significant organisational challenge and change, in response to unprecedented financial difficulties, LGA Peer Review and budget gap.”
Tell It Like It Is, etc.
“Transformational changes and cost reduction needed to ensure the Council is living within its means.”
We understand what cost reduction means. Transformational change is one of those policy twonk localgov phrases that can mean any number of things. It usually involves… cost reduction.
The LibDem Cabinet is asked to:
“To note significant progress in preparing the Council for the transformation and cost reduction changes required in 2024.”
It looks like they will be doing the dirty work ahead of the next set of the 2024 local elections. It’s not a good look when you’re out doing the LibDem door knocking thing.
The reason for this ‘reset’ is described beautifully:
“To ensure the Council is ready for the significant structural changes, staff and service changes required in 2024 and that the public and partners have confidence the Council will be able to close the budget gap, unlike others.”
UNLIKE OTHERS.
Ouch.
For once the Alternative Options add:
“There are no alternative options.”
Oh, come, come, Comrades. There’s always an alternative option, if you’re prepared to stand up and fight.
The background to the report explains how 14 Councils across the country have failed to set a balanced budget this year. Colchester under the LibDems is in mood to be added to this macabre list.
The report continues:
“In 2023, the reset of Senior Leadership arrangements for the City Council commenced in 2022 has been completed. This means a Senior Leadership Team is in place that is fit for the future and poised to deliver the significant change required in 2024.”
Talk about a top down led approach.
We note that Chief Officers make a Median average pay of £95,154.43, while other staff average at £26,452.24.
We also read how:
“The Amphora Commercial Companies and Colchester Borough Homes are working in a more joined up, supportive and connected way, under the overall oversight and direction of the Chief Executive.”
Translation: they were either broken up or taken back in house.
The Council now shares a Financial Officer with Epping Forest District Council. Two for the price of one, if you will. The report confirms that the Mr Double Identity has:
“Concluded a fundamental review of all aspects of the Councils finances resulting in a revised Medium Term Financial Forecast which will be presented to Cabinet in January 2024.”
We hope he doesn’t get the reports for each Council mixed up. Because that would be most unfortunate.
There is also talk of sharing services with Braintree District Council in the coming months.
There’s mention of the recent pay award to the City Council staff. This was an extra £600k out of the Council coffers that it wasn’t expecting. Combined with other areas of overspend and inflationary pressures, the reserves will take a £3.6m hit in 2023/24.
That’s going to hurt.
A full review of the Northern Gateway project is planned. This isn’t the bad news that you would expect. The report claims that there has already been a £1.8m saving for this project.
The report ends:
“To conclude, 2023 has been a year in which the foundations have been put in place to commence the reset of the Council in 2024 so it is fit for the future. Further details of the action needed to achieve this will accompany the budget and Medium-Term Financial Forecast papers in January.”
And then come February, we’re in full localgov BUDGET MODE.
That’s when we get to see if the Great Sunny Colch ‘Reset’ is a way forward, or a backdoor to redundancies and loss of services.
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