Salford City Council's proposals for its new budget will see £24.8million in cuts during 2012/13, as part of an eye watering total of £94million of cuts between 2011 and 2014/15, forced by the ConDem Government.
In mid February, Salford Council's councillors will be asked to approve massive cuts to front line services for some of the city's most vulnerable people which, according to latest Salford Council statements will include…
• £567,000 cut to intensive and intermediate home care support. These cuts include thirty jobs for home care support workers who help people to get back on their feet after operations, or those who are terminally ill, or who have had problems with childbirth. The Council is partially privatising the service.
• £876,000 cut to Day Care Services within two years which will see the service slashed at Humphrey Booth in Ordsall, Craig Hall in Irlam and possibly St George's in Charlestown. The campaign to save them is already in full swing (see here).
• £396,000 cut to Salford Council's Welfare Rights and Debt Advice service this year, just when people need it most.
• £1,903,000 cut to Adult Social Care via `personalisation' which few vulnerable people actually understand.
• £201,000 cut to help for carers within the next two years.
• £990,000 cut to Youth Services, or `new integrated service' as the Council likes to put it. More riots anyone?
• £2,610,000 axed in total this year from Children's Service including the Youth service, SEN statement staff and Schools Music Services.
• £380,000 cut to community and recreation facilities budget, while the Parks For People strategy totalling almost £1million for improvements to Kersal Dale, Clowes Park, Buile Hill Park, Albert Park and more has been torn up.
Altogether a total of 400 Salford Council jobs are being lost, 230 more than was originally envisaged. On top of 40 vacant posts that won't be filled, the Council is hoping for 360 voluntary redundancies – so far, according to a Salford Council report being discussed today, "in response to the invitation made to staff there have so far been around 250 expressions of interest, of which around 60 so far have turned into formal applications for voluntary early retirement, voluntary severance and other voluntary options."
Meanwhile, Salford Council is cutting £1million from its fat cat budget – for those earning above £50,000. So far, Deputy Chief Executive Kevin Brady (£120,000+ in salary) has been farmed out to AGMA (Assoc of Greater Manchester Councils) being taking voluntary retirement next year.
Prestige capital projects around MediaCityUK and Central Salford are getting cuts of just under £1million, although Salford Council is still borrowing £1.665million towards a total £1.915million spend on the projects. The MediaCityUK is also going to get a £300,000 cut to its revenue budget, although the £3million sponsorship of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra still goes ahead.
Peel Holdings, as usual, is the biggest winner in the budget, getting £30million in public handouts for it Port Salford project. £15million of this comes from a grant, while £15million comes direct from Salford Council (see here for further details).
However, while the mainstream media concentrates on `sexy' cuts to fat cats and big regen projects, it's the most vulnerable people in Salford who are going to feel the hardest cuts of all…
* If anyone knows of any Salford Council cuts affecting them directly please contact the Salford Star and we'll do further features info@salfordstar.com
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