Cuts and more cuts - the pain begins

Today there was a special meeting of the County Council to decide on the first raft of budget cuts to be implemented this year. Nearly 11 million pounds worth of savings have got to be made and the Cabinet had considered where the axe was likely to fall last week. Today it was the turn of the council. In opposition, I had tabled an amendment which was not to take the cuts in positive action for young people (78K), teenage pregnancy (25K) and the road safety partnership (300K). I had put forward that the savings could be made by charging for on-street parking in the evenings and weekends (300K) and to reduce money spent on glossy publicity and communications (103K). Unfortunately I was told that this amendment could not be allowed because it constituted a policy change. So it looks like despite our best efforts, the speed cameras will be switched off this weekend and there is the daunting prospect of possibly more road casualties.

I was on the radio talking about this at 7.30am this morning, so an early start to the day at the BBC Radio Oxford studio in Summertown. Then onto County Hall where the decision was made at a special cabinet meeting to award the incinerator tender to Viridor ... this was decided last year but this afternoon's meeting is now set to drive this forward even though planning permission has not been granted for the site at Ardley!

But back to the budget cuts. Even though my amendment was not accepted, the full council meeting debated the cuts and then rubber stamped the lot, with warnings of more to come. Well I had warned this time last year that there would be difficult times ahead - but did we realise how difficult it would be? Also in the news today is the latest casualty of the cuts in the government grant programme to pre-school buildings and unfortunately Grovelands Playgroup is one of them - so hitting really close to home. There will be more to come I am sure.