John Hampton in his letter (June 7) asks what the council has done to respond to the budget shortfall in the budget that was predicted in December 2009?
In short we have made some hard choices to protect the services we provide for the most vulnerable in our society.
The council balanced its budget for 2010/11 with £143,000 of efficiencies found and a further £769,000 identified from other savings, reduced or alternative service delivery, including items such as replacing annual bedding plants with perennials saving £42,500 over three years and technology changes that save £70,000.
Additional funding was also provided for repairs and maintenance with a further £200,000 being set aside for general maintenance and an additional £170,000 having been identified to go towards the repairs of the harbour walls.
The council tax increase to which he refers was just two per cent for our share of the bill, the lowest for 14 years and below the then rate of inflation of 2.9 per cent.
The council’s record on making efficiencies speaks for itself – achieving a cumulative total of £1,768,000 up to 2009/10 – nearly twice the Government’s target.
With rising costs and reduced income due to the economic downturn and faced with near certain reductions in Government grant, we will no doubt be facing a shortfall in funding again next year and your local council will have to face further hard choices to balance the books.
Coun Peter Chapman, Briefholder for Finance and Assets, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council
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