Why is Derbyshire County Council sitting on £160 million?
Discussion
As per the title. Three - at least - recent media reports have singled out Derbyshire County Council for being, allegedly, the 'richest' local authority in England and for having c. £160 Million saved for a 'rainy day'.
What do folk think about this and the rightness of their having built up and keeping back so much of tax payers' money, or investments made with said tax payers' cash.
The latest report said they aim to save/cut c.£80 million now through reductions to services and job losses. What sort of rainy day are they expecting to need/be able to justify such a pot in times of cut backs? Apparently the government are urging them to spend rather than cutting services.
As a resident of the county who pays my taxes towards their provision of services for the community and as the 'beneficiary' of amongst the highest council tax rates and increases around for a couple of years I personally resent this, greatly.
The roads round here are a total disgrace (e.g. breaking my anti roll bar link through 3rd world class potholes earlier this year), grit bins are empty, nary a snow plough or gritter seen round here for over a week and, no doubt, a number of employees facing the new year with the fear of redundancy. Maybe their 'rainy day' has come?
I wonder how the council could defend this squirrel policy?
What do folk think about this and the rightness of their having built up and keeping back so much of tax payers' money, or investments made with said tax payers' cash.
The latest report said they aim to save/cut c.£80 million now through reductions to services and job losses. What sort of rainy day are they expecting to need/be able to justify such a pot in times of cut backs? Apparently the government are urging them to spend rather than cutting services.
As a resident of the county who pays my taxes towards their provision of services for the community and as the 'beneficiary' of amongst the highest council tax rates and increases around for a couple of years I personally resent this, greatly.
The roads round here are a total disgrace (e.g. breaking my anti roll bar link through 3rd world class potholes earlier this year), grit bins are empty, nary a snow plough or gritter seen round here for over a week and, no doubt, a number of employees facing the new year with the fear of redundancy. Maybe their 'rainy day' has come?
I wonder how the council could defend this squirrel policy?
Ah, so do you think that's what they are earmarking the pot for?
If they don't have enough god knows how others will cope!
I just wonder how they ever accrued such an amount (as said, supposedly larger than other authorities), well, without consistently unnecessary and exaggerated 'takes' from the unwitting inhabitants.
If they don't have enough god knows how others will cope!
I just wonder how they ever accrued such an amount (as said, supposedly larger than other authorities), well, without consistently unnecessary and exaggerated 'takes' from the unwitting inhabitants.
Lost_BMW said:
jagracer said:
Have you tried complaining to your local council and local MP or is your [rant limited to PH?
To my MP so far (Conservative - no response as yet) and on to the council next week. Hope that clears up your Ask candidates and parties what they intended to do with rates and the surplus. Then tell your mates, write a few letters to publications that are read by those in Derby. Stick a lable in your car. Run up a website and put it on Google. It's cheap enough: www.derbywasters.co.uk is only £3 for a year and hosting is cheap enough. Find out the way people voted in crucial meetings and which are the wasters. Put names on your website. Tell your mates to tell others who live in Derby.
Print the response from your MP and councillor. If they don't reply, make a point of that. Search online for their promises and then their performance. Find another local authority which is similar and descover their income and their services. Compare them with your online.
All the status quo requires is a few 'good men to do nothing'.
You sometimes need to be a little bit careful about how you read these reports because of the income characteristics of local authorities.
Believe it or not, there are a substantial proportion of people who pay their full year's council tax "up front" in April. That money will of course be spent over the coming year, so a very healthy bank balance at, say, the end of April may be misleading.
Councils will also have to have reserves to cover any number of eventualities. For example, if they are planning to knock down a town centre and redevelop it, they'll usually have the money for the job in the bank before they let the contract - might be sitting there for a few years. There will also be a few bob in the kitty for contingencies eg. bad weather.
I'm not defending Derbyshire's bank balance, just saying don't just look at the headlines and jump to the wrong conclusion
Believe it or not, there are a substantial proportion of people who pay their full year's council tax "up front" in April. That money will of course be spent over the coming year, so a very healthy bank balance at, say, the end of April may be misleading.
Councils will also have to have reserves to cover any number of eventualities. For example, if they are planning to knock down a town centre and redevelop it, they'll usually have the money for the job in the bank before they let the contract - might be sitting there for a few years. There will also be a few bob in the kitty for contingencies eg. bad weather.
I'm not defending Derbyshire's bank balance, just saying don't just look at the headlines and jump to the wrong conclusion
Derek Smith said:
Lost_BMW said:
jagracer said:
Have you tried complaining to your local council and local MP or is your [rant limited to PH?
To my MP so far (Conservative - no response as yet) and on to the council next week. Hope that clears up your Ask candidates and parties what they intended to do with rates and the surplus. Then tell your mates, write a few letters to publications that are read by those in Derby. Stick a lable in your car. Run up a website and put it on Google. It's cheap enough: www.derbywasters.co.uk is only £3 for a year and hosting is cheap enough. Find out the way people voted in crucial meetings and which are the wasters. Put names on your website. Tell your mates to tell others who live in Derby.
Print the response from your MP and councillor. If they don't reply, make a point of that. Search online for their promises and then their performance. Find another local authority which is similar and descover their income and their services. Compare them with your online.
All the status quo requires is a few 'good men to do nothing'.
slimtater said:
Or just ask yourself
"Am I unhappy with their services?"
Can't win really - if they spend it they are wasteful, if they save it people ask why? Is it actually available to spend or is it their assets?
They are not saving it though, they are taking peoples money (by force and threats) and just hanging onto it."Am I unhappy with their services?"
Can't win really - if they spend it they are wasteful, if they save it people ask why? Is it actually available to spend or is it their assets?
This is wrong, it's not their money.
They should spend it or give it back. There are questions as to whether council tax is even legal..
Lost_BMW said:
slimtater said:
Can the OP point us in the direction of the media reports - save going through 120 pages of financial statements!
Three Radio 4 reports heard, one on You and Yours (?) and two on the R4 1.00pm news + one on BBC East Midlands news.Globs said:
They are not saving it though, they are taking peoples money (by force and threats) and just hanging onto it.
This is wrong, it's not their money.
They should spend it or give it back. There are questions as to whether council tax is even legal..
Oh please, that is hardly a new debate and there will always be those who don't want to pay council tax or whatever is to be levied.This is wrong, it's not their money.
They should spend it or give it back. There are questions as to whether council tax is even legal..
My point is, do my local council as mentioned by the OP have a pot of £160m sat somewhere not being used?
I don't really want to get in to a debate with posters who claim not to use street lighting, have their bins emptied, take the kids to their local park, have no need for policing or (hopefully) for fire service etc etc.
slimtater said:
Globs said:
They are not saving it though, they are taking peoples money (by force and threats) and just hanging onto it.
This is wrong, it's not their money.
They should spend it or give it back. There are questions as to whether council tax is even legal..
Oh please, that is hardly a new debate and there will always be those who don't want to pay council tax or whatever is to be levied.This is wrong, it's not their money.
They should spend it or give it back. There are questions as to whether council tax is even legal..
My point is, do my local council as mentioned by the OP have a pot of £160m sat somewhere not being used?
I don't really want to get in to a debate with posters who claim not to use street lighting, have their bins emptied, take the kids to their local park, have no need for policing or (hopefully) for fire service etc etc.
The council is a corporation with a CEO and employees just like any other corporation, and taxation may only be exacted lawfully by Parliamentary enactment. Please specify the enactment that devolves such authority to a council. Any council.
That is why when a council sends out a summons, it's faked to look like a court summons but it never actually IS, it's just a show to intimidate you into paying.
Lost_BMW said:
What do folk think about this and the rightness of their having built up and keeping back so much of tax payers' money, or investments made with said tax payers' cash.
Good on them.Maybe if the previous national government had a similar policy then we wouldn't be in the mess we're currently in.
Their total budget in 09/10 was almost half a billion £s.
http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/images/2009%2002%2025...
Given we're still in Dec, is £160m really that much in the grand scheme of things?
Edited by Victor McDade on Sunday 5th December 10:20
Globs said:
slimtater said:
Globs said:
They are not saving it though, they are taking peoples money (by force and threats) and just hanging onto it.
This is wrong, it's not their money.
They should spend it or give it back. There are questions as to whether council tax is even legal..
Oh please, that is hardly a new debate and there will always be those who don't want to pay council tax or whatever is to be levied.This is wrong, it's not their money.
They should spend it or give it back. There are questions as to whether council tax is even legal..
My point is, do my local council as mentioned by the OP have a pot of £160m sat somewhere not being used?
I don't really want to get in to a debate with posters who claim not to use street lighting, have their bins emptied, take the kids to their local park, have no need for policing or (hopefully) for fire service etc etc.
The council is a corporation with a CEO and employees just like any other corporation, and taxation may only be exacted lawfully by Parliamentary enactment. Please specify the enactment that devolves such authority to a council. Any council.
That is why when a council sends out a summons, it's faked to look like a court summons but it never actually IS, it's just a show to intimidate you into paying.
Can we get this back on topic now - DCC are a non-profit making organisation who are partially funded by charging local people council tax, but appear to be carrying a surplus of £160m? They are accountable to a number of people (including local people) so we are just asking what is the situation with this £160m?
slimtater
Concerned Derbyshire resident!
Edited by slimtater on Sunday 5th December 12:10
Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff