Our response to the challenge of tough choices…

TSR11 Staffing and staff related costs

(Saving £614,700)

Our staff are the Council’s most valuable asset and we have seen great improvements in the productivity and performance in recent years. Staff sickness has halved over the last two years and is now well below the average for councils.

However, staff costs account for nearly half the Council’s expenditure and, in the face of tough grant settlements from central government, we have to look at how we can keep these costs in check. To achieve this, we have just negotiated a move away from costly and unaffordable formula-driven pay rises to more affordable and realistic pay levels.

The Council will also continue to carefully manage vacant posts and, where possible, look at deleting these posts if they are no longer required. This will be part of an ongoing review, which will look at our systems, processes and staffing levels in comparison to other councils.

Additional savings are likely to arise in future years, based on the roll-out of document scanning and workflow technology – the application of which has halved processing times for Housing Benefits. We are also looking at more effective procurement and scale economies through sharing services with neighbouring councils.

These approaches are in line with those proposed by the Department of Communities and Local Government.

TSR12 Cutting the cost of council accommodation and making more use of buildings paid for at public expense

(Saving £200,000)

The Council expects to cut its overheads significantly over the next two years by reviewing and reorganising its office accommodation.  This will also generate about £1m of valuable receipts for reinvestment in services to residents.

The main proposals here include:

TSR13 Better Asset Management

TSR14 Green Garden Waste Collections

(Raising £268,900)

Many Thanet residents love their gardens, but they produce a great amount of recyclable green waste.  Many councils now charge for their service to collect green garden waste.  We propose to also introduce a small annual charge for this service in Thanet from summer 2008.  This will require considerable capital investment and set up costs by the Council – but we believe this will lead to a valuable, cost effective and environmentally friendly service used by an increasing number of households in the years to come. 

Residents who wish to use this service will be asked to purchase a green garden waste bin for £15.  After the first year, there will be a cost of £26 to keep using the bin, which will buy an annual green bin licence.  This fee is considerably less than the cost of a tank of petrol.

TSR15 Car Park charges

(Raising £201,000)

Car parking charges continue to be an important source of income in Thanet, as in most coastal areas.  The cost of parking in the area is still relatively low, compared with many of our neighbours.  A package of changes to parking income is proposed which will see typical increases as follows:-

This represents a 16% increase overall but, subject to levels of grant in 2009/10 and 2010/11, the Council is hopeful that it will not need to increase fees further in these two later years. In addition, we will seek to agree additional and regulated areas of on-street parking.

This will help improve on-street parking space in busy areas, help residents and ensure that visitors make a reasonable contribution during their time/stay in Thanet.

TSR16 Public Toilet charges

(Raising £24,000)

Thanet has a significantly higher number of toilets than our neighbours.  Public toilets are costly to operate and prone to vandalism and we want Thanet to have good, clean toilets which reflect well on the Council and the area.  To achieve this, we intend to:

• Continue to invest £30k pa in toilet upgrades and refurbishment
• Charge 20p for use of some toilets in the summer in our high-footfall areas.  This will pay for an attendant – which will improve service to customers and reduce the potential for vandalism
• Seek to incorporate daily repairs and maintenance works within the overall contract price
• Close two or three toilets, which  are prone to vandalism or are within close proximity to other services
• Explore options for more local management by Town or Parish Councils

TSR17 Moorings within the Royal Harbour

(Raising £139,000)

TSR18 Museums and grant to the East Kent Maritime Trust

(Saving £100,000)

The Council currently grant aids the East Kent Maritime Trust, who provide museum services and supervise collections at Margate and Ramsgate.  Sadly the council grant of around £100,000 a year supports services that are used by only around 10,000 visitors each year – equating to a subsidy of around £10 per visitor.  This is not sustainable in the current financial climate and the Cabinet believes that
this grant must cease in 2008/09.  The Council will discuss with the Trust the best way forward to achieving the following objectives:-

• A thorough review of the current museum exhibits, with the aim of establishing a series of high-quality themed exhibitions which can be displayed at various venues across the district and, possibly, county.
• The presentation of a core, static museum display on the ground floor of Albion House, Ramsgate – in rooms not required for civic accommodation
• The release of accommodation currently occupied at both Ramsgate and Margate for potential alternative commercial or community

As part of this change programme, the Council is willing to fund a post for two years to support the reconfiguration of the Museum collections.

Next: Our response to the challenge of tough choices

Financial Services

E-mail:

accountancy@thanet.gov.uk

Tel: 01843 577000