Blackburn with Darwen Council under-spent by £6million

BLACKBURN with Darwen council under-spent its budget by more than £6million despite its Labour leaders complaining about the damaging effect of government cash cuts.

A report to the authority’s cabinet reveals the saving, which will now be put into its contingency reserve.

It begins by noting that the council “faced an unprecedented reduction in government funding of £33 million in the 2011/12 financial year in addition to ongoing reductions to specific grant made unexpectedly during the 2010/12 year.”

The report adds: “The council also anticipates further reductions in further years”.

But the officers tell the senior councillors on the executive board that actual spending in the 12 months to March 31st was £148.585 million against an original approved budget of £154.855 million.

The net saving of £6.27 million - four per cent of the total spending of the council - will go into reserves.

Conservative opposition leader Michael Lee said: “I shall be asking questions at the executive board meeting on Thursday about this underspend.

“My concern is whether the council is making savings for a rainy day out of current savings to the detriment of services.

“Is this underspend being achieved to put money in reserves for next year in case of further cuts and are we going to see redundancies in future as a result of this?”

The authority’s cabinet member for resources Andy Kay said: “This is not an underspend as such. We work on a two year programme and this is a prudent saving as a result of good management which has been put in the reserves to be available for next year.”

Comments(20)

Dave_P says...
4:44pm Tue 10 Jul 12

I've worked for the council and every year we made savings by under spending, we had that much removed from the next years budget.
Morons

RUinsane says...
4:44pm Tue 10 Jul 12

NOOOOOOO, don't put it in contingency reserve, fill the pot holes in you utter twonks

2 for 5p says...
4:45pm Tue 10 Jul 12

So that means they could cut council tax next year.
I bet a pound to a peanut they dont

CapitaBackHander says...
5:13pm Tue 10 Jul 12

So no excuses for all the litter then and un cut grass!

Rumpole says...
5:33pm Tue 10 Jul 12

""this is a prudent saving as a result of good management......""!

So what kind of management did we have before the cuts?

sen c ble says...
6:01pm Tue 10 Jul 12

CapitaBackHander wrote:
So no excuses for all the litter then and un cut grass!
So many times I've seen road sweepers, and two on some roads, on unlittered roads and streets, ignoring blocked road drains and gulleys. It makes me wonder who in person manages the enviromental services!

Rover2008 says...
6:43pm Tue 10 Jul 12

RUinsane wrote:
NOOOOOOO, don't put it in contingency reserve, fill the pot holes in you utter twonks
the potholes are being repaired you twonk those lads on the highways work extremely hard until mother nature decides to cause more work for them

district01 says...
6:51pm Tue 10 Jul 12

Tony Blair’s wanting to help the remains of his ‘New Labour’ survivors by offering them his successful salesman expertise. Unfortunately the main problem was and still is that he was really a New Conservative. Now just a failed politician trying to rewrite his personal history.

Blackburn with Darwen council ‘New Labour’ Party - Left high and dry because Tony Blair’s ‘New Labour’ survivors are still there!

2 for 5p says...
7:17pm Tue 10 Jul 12

I know this might be a bit undemocratic but I think we could be better off with appointed councilors, because the lot we keep voting in are not fit to run a sweet shop.

RUinsane says...
7:28pm Tue 10 Jul 12

Rover2008 wrote:
RUinsane wrote:
NOOOOOOO, don't put it in contingency reserve, fill the pot holes in you utter twonks
the potholes are being repaired you twonk those lads on the highways work extremely hard until mother nature decides to cause more work for them
funny last time I looked the ones on pole lane had been there for three years you utter twonk. I take it you fill em in for a livin? c'mon man pull yer finger out.

CapitaBackHander says...
7:52pm Tue 10 Jul 12

RUinsane wrote:
Rover2008 wrote:
RUinsane wrote:
NOOOOOOO, don't put it in contingency reserve, fill the pot holes in you utter twonks
the potholes are being repaired you twonk those lads on the highways work extremely hard until mother nature decides to cause more work for them
funny last time I looked the ones on pole lane had been there for three years you utter twonk. I take it you fill em in for a livin? c'mon man pull yer finger out.
The ones on Borough Rd and side of Health Centre even longer and dangerous (re breaking and ABS affected) at a junction cars always park on.
Putting patch of tarmac in a hole is NOT repairing a pot hole!

mark007 says...
8:03pm Tue 10 Jul 12

Rover2008- Do you drive in Blackburn? The roads are in awful condition, One that always springs to mind is the awful dip in the road just before tasty bites across from the hamilton arms

mark007 says...
8:03pm Tue 10 Jul 12

CapitaBackHander wrote:
RUinsane wrote:
Rover2008 wrote:
RUinsane wrote:
NOOOOOOO, don't put it in contingency reserve, fill the pot holes in you utter twonks
the potholes are being repaired you twonk those lads on the highways work extremely hard until mother nature decides to cause more work for them
funny last time I looked the ones on pole lane had been there for three years you utter twonk. I take it you fill em in for a livin? c'mon man pull yer finger out.
The ones on Borough Rd and side of Health Centre even longer and dangerous (re breaking and ABS affected) at a junction cars always park on.
Putting patch of tarmac in a hole is NOT repairing a pot hole!
Rover2008- Do you drive in Blackburn? The roads are in awful condition, One that always springs to mind is the awful dip in the road just before tasty bites across from the hamilton arms

mavrick says...
9:13pm Tue 10 Jul 12

district01 wrote:
Tony Blair’s wanting to help the remains of his ‘New Labour’ survivors by offering them his successful salesman expertise. Unfortunately the main problem was and still is that he was really a New Conservative. Now just a failed politician trying to rewrite his personal history.

Blackburn with Darwen council ‘New Labour’ Party - Left high and dry because Tony Blair’s ‘New Labour’ survivors are still there!
Best new Tory they ever had,I thought I was the only one who thought that. He is still a deluded but dangerous politician.

enuff_izanuff says...
1:11am Wed 11 Jul 12

6 Million, i could re tarmac every road in Blackburn and Darwen with that. Hmmmm!

s_smith says...
2:49am Wed 11 Jul 12

Dave_P wrote:
I've worked for the council and every year we made savings by under spending, we had that much removed from the next years budget.
Morons
Myth.

happycyclist says...
7:05am Wed 11 Jul 12

2 for 5p wrote:
I know this might be a bit undemocratic but I think we could be better off with appointed councilors, because the lot we keep voting in are not fit to run a sweet shop.
It works for business -a company interviews people and picks the best candidate, not the most popular one, which is what our electoral system is based on. It's time we moved on from the outdated 'democracy' and party politics.

A Darener says...
10:34am Wed 11 Jul 12

Perhaps they could spend the money sludge gulping all the drains. All round us are blocked with silt.

totcoms says...
10:52pm Wed 11 Jul 12

a question for Rover2008.--- How many people fill the potholes as a fulltime job?????????

district01 says...
7:14pm Thu 12 Jul 12

happycyclist wrote:
2 for 5p wrote:
I know this might be a bit undemocratic but I think we could be better off with appointed councilors, because the lot we keep voting in are not fit to run a sweet shop.
It works for business -a company interviews people and picks the best candidate, not the most popular one, which is what our electoral system is based on. It's time we moved on from the outdated 'democracy' and party politics.
Thanks to Tony Blair’s ‘new labour’ party how can anyone ever vote for them again? It’s only the mistaken allegiance of those thinking that party to be the party of old that keeps them afloat. Those surviving leaders are still earning themselves a good living only by apposing everything under the sun without giving credible alternatives of their own. Politicians are just a party nameplate these days and nothing more. Tony Blair the very successful hide away conservative having gotten away with everything under the sun. Even a war does prove my point!

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