DCC overspend jumps to nearly £10 million

“Phil Norrey, chief executive of Devon County Council, said he wanted to reassure councillors, staff and taxpayers about the impact of the savings strategy, saying it was ‘tight and good housekeeping’.

He said: “We are making sure that we have our house in order rather than panicking and walking over a cliff and the range of measures we are implementing we have looked at very carefully.

“There are pressures across the country and after around eight or nine years of extreme pressures on budgets, it has to come a point when we reach the end of the road on spending, and that will come in the next two or three years.”

https://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/devon-10m-overspend-2018-1-5782070

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

15 Nov 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Air pollution, Developers/ Development, EDDC, Fords of Sidmouth, Inequality, Sidford Business Park

Pity the children of Sidford

“Pollution from diesel vehicles is stunting the growth of children’s lungs, leaving them damaged for life, a major study has found.

The research, conducted with more than 2,000 school children in London, is the first such study in a city where diesel pollution is a significant factor, and has implications for cities around the world. It also showed that charges to deter polluting trucks from entering the city did reduce air pollution a little but did not reduce the harm to children’s lungs. …”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/14/diesel-pollution-stunts-childrens-lung-growth-london-study-shows

Posted by

East Devon Watch

Posted on

15 Nov 2018

Posted under

Accountability, Austerity cuts, DCC, Economy, Local Government Finance

Devon £8m overspend, Suffolk £11.2 million overspend – dominoes fall

Devon is playing its cards close to its chest about cuts:
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/budget-overspend-forecast-devon-blamed-2005218

Suffolk proposes:

A 2.9% council tax rise next year
A halt to road sign cleaning, with only mandatory road markings being maintained
Reducing housing-related support for people in their own tenancies
A review of arrangements with district and borough councils for grass cutting and weed treatment services
Removal of the Citizens Advice Bureau grant
Reducing the legal, training and equipment costs at trading standards
Streamlining running costs in educational psychologists service, although there will be no cuts to frontline services

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-46212757