Budget Speech - Fran Wilson, Leader of Maidstone Borough Council

11.18.00pm GMT Sun 9th Mar 2008

The Cabinet this year has faced significant challenges. First of all we had to rise to the challenge of residents expectations. Residents wanted to retain weekly waste collections but also demanded an excellent recycling service. We were told this on the doorstep and this expectation was confirmed through our extensive budget simulator exercise.

There were the twin challenges of continuing to adequately provide for the Local Development Framework process and making provision for the work to be done regarding the Kent International Gateway planning application.

Challenges from Government came through the comprehensive spending review, a 1% real terms cash increase, which fails even to provide for inflation, and the risks which have been well catalogued in respect of the new statutory fares scheme.

In addition we had to make in excess of one million in savings from the revenue budget simply to be in a position to present a balanced budget to you this evening.

However this is not a cabinet that shies away from making tough decisions. We have retained the weekly waste collection and are in the process of introducing an excellent recycling service. This has been achieved at half the cost everyone said it could be done for.

The costs to cover the KIG application have also been found.

Despite severe financial constraints we have taken forward our Housing agenda. The Council's policies on planning gain and affordable housing and our own investment has resulted in an unprecedented number of new affordable homes. We have attracted significant funds and provided for a £16 million investment by the Council over the next three years.

We have invested in private sector renewal and energy efficiency schemes and the Regional Housing Board has recently announced an additional £2 million investment to enable more homes to be made decent and to tackle climate change.

Considerable efficiency savings were made through a combination of, what I think most people now call 'smarter' working, and also through partnership working with other authorities. I have supported the Chief Executive in his Price Book initiative - it has proved to be an invaluable tool in identifying areas where we can be more cost effective and learn from others.

This administration has maintained the Councils previous strategy on balances. We have been fortunate in that the Borough Council has benefited from the current turbulence in the money markets. However we have been prudent and I want to emphasise that the good fortune from the money markets has not been used to prop up the base budget, rather it has been used to fund one off projects which we consider will contribute to the long engagement of our citizens and sustainability of the Borough.

We have also turned a 'wish-list' into a capital budget of substance and reality and have carefully prioritized what needs to be done in the interests of our citizens.

We are not in the business of ducking away from problems. Hence our emphasis on finding a long term solution to the Leisure Centre and moving forward with works to the Crematorium. Both projects necessitating a serious injection from the Council's capital funds.

This cabinet also decided from the very beginning of our administration that, if we were hoping to give our citizens a sense of place and a pride in their Borough and attract inward business investment, we needed to seriously enhance Maidstone's image. It is clear, looking at other places, that this has usually been achieved through developing a strong cultural identity. So other provision has been made through the capital programme to support and nurture the museum and provide an Arts Centre based upon the Hazlitt Theatre and Corn Exchange.

As I said, this has been a most challenging year throughout which I have also been mindful of the increasing hardship experienced by so many of our citizens. While there has been a decease in consumer debt there has been a significant increase in the amounts of priority debt presented to the Citizens Advice Bureau; this has been particularly noticeable over the period November 2007 to February 2008. This includes mortgage and rent arrears and utility bills. As an example there has been a 331% increase in Debt regarding Gas bills in this period.

I want councillors to know that I did seriously consider the recommendation from the Corporate Services overview and Scrutiny committee to retain the full £3000 per member devolved budget. However I, and my cabinet colleagues, concluded that this simply would not be equitable. How can we possibly retain these Member budgets where in many other areas costs have had to be cut. I have however promised member colleagues that I will revisit this in August.

In conclusion Mr Mayor, the job of the leader and cabinet is to present Council with a sensible, balanced and prudent budget. I believe by any measure the proposals before you meet that test and I therefore commend the budget to you which equates to a 2.94% tax increase for the coming year.

I therefore move the recommendations of the Cabinet made on 13th February 2008 with regard to the Corporate Revenue and Capital Budgets 2008/09