DURING the worst budget restraints Dorset has ever seen, the county has struggled to cope in the past 12 months after experiencing confirmed cuts of around £67million. Although the full extent of the cuts is still not clear, the county has already has lost hundreds of jobs, businesses and services to the cutbacks since the Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2010. The knock-on effect will add many more millions to the final bill. In this week-long special report chief reporter Miriam Phillips, will look at the worst affected areas, how our local authorities are coping with the changes and how our county hospital has pulled itself out from its spiralling financial black hole. Following this look at the county as a whole we will be reviewing the local authorities with a series of exclusive interviews, examining our 999 emergency services, businesses, and highlighting the real tragedies of these cuts.

A MERGER of services between Weymouth and Portland Borough and West Dorset District councils has saved £2.5million while council chiefs pledge to maintain frontline services.

The dramatic cost-saving measures, merging services at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council (WPBC) and West Dorset District Council, were put into effect after the shocking cuts that came as a result of the Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2011.

After the Chancellor announced the Government’s biggest spending cuts since 1945 the borough council (WPBC) was left with 28 per cent shortage in funding and West Dorset faced a drop of 25 per cent.

Chief executive of West Dorset District Council David Clarke was appointed as the chief executive for both councils in the first of the cost-cutting measures – which will continue until April 2012.

Speaking exclusively to the Echo Mr Clarke said that it was the ‘biggest change in the history of both councils’ but that the extraordinary move was the only way to make effective cuts of £2.5million.

He said: “In my experience from working in local government these were the toughest cuts in 30-40 years so for the two councils, west faced a 25 per cent reduction in its grants over two years and Weymouth faced the worst in the country with 28 per cent.

“That was really significant and was certainly worse than we anticipated.”

But the councils were able to respond so quickly because of plans they had put in place two years previously to merge a whole raft of services between both authorities.

By merging services and cutting roles, ranging the executive level, heads of services and service managers the council predict to make £2million savings by the end of this year.

Now entering phase two of the cuts staff based in both councils will be going through an intense process in the quest to make more savings.

In addition the partnership has been able to save £300,000 in revenue savings and £200,000 by merging the waste departments.

He said that the two councils were a challenge because they were so vastly different – with one being urban with concerns about economy and jobs and the other being remote and rural with problems of affordable housing.

Amid criticism that nine public sector chiefs in Dorset were earning more than the Prime Minister, revealed by the Echo earlier this year, the council took the decision to merge the top team and axe five directors’ jobs.

Mr Clarke has a capped salary of £110,000 and a performance bonus of £5,000 and his directors are all on £100,000 or less a year each.

He said that although morale was low because of the cuts and redundancies, he felt that the public and his staff understand the necessity of the partnership.

Mr Clarke said on top of making all the cuts, his officers were bracing themselves for what he described as ‘the greatest show on earth’ as the games roll into town in 2012.

He said the Olympics were the council’s top priority and that the legacy is something that should not be underestimated.

Despite being proud of the way his council and staff have battled through the past year Mr Clarke said: “Now, it is going to get worse, we’re about to receive more bad news. We roughly knew that the 28 per cent was the next two years – but we’ll start to find out further reductions beyond that and the anticipation is that there might be further reductions of seven to eight per cent again each year, on top of the 28 per cent across all councils.”

He added: “Tougher times are coming – there’s no doubt about it.”

No full merger scheme in line for authorities

THE decision to fully merge both councils would have to be made by councillors and would constitute a full constitutional change.

Mr Clarke said that when the services started to merge councillors asked for both councils to maintain their sovereignty and that it will continue.

He dismissed various concerns from people that one council is trying to take over.

He said: “I want to dispel any myth that there has been a West Dorset takeover – it has never been the case.”

He said in the future staff may swap offices between the Weymouth HQ and the new Charles Street HQ in Dorchester but that it is important that both offices are maintained for the economic prosperity of both towns.

How the reductions in staff are planned at the partnership: Phase One – October 2010- October 2011 • Slim-lined the council structure to choose one chief executive, instead of two.

• Five directors were axed to leave four directors instead of the existing nine • 14 service managers were axed to leave 16 instead of 30 • 48 heads of services were put in place across both councils – reductions at every level

Phase Two – October 2011-January 2012 • The following departments will be looked at for cuts – HR, IT, Legal and Democratic Services, Property and Facilities,Development

Phase Three – November 2011-February 2012 • The following departments will be looked at for cuts – Technical Services (engineering and emergency planning), Spatial and Community Planning, Economic Regeneration, Housing, Community Protection

Phase Four – November 2011 – April 2012 • The following departments will be looked at for cuts – Customer Services and Communications, Business Transformation and Administration, Financial Services, Street Scene, Revenues and benefits, Technical Services(car parking).

TOTAL – the cuts Dorset has faced since the spending review in October • Dorset County Council – shortfall of £57million – lost 500 roles and of that 167 redundancies • Weymouth Borough Council – 28 per cent cuts totalling £1,454,000 • West Dorset District Council – 25 per cent cuts totalling £1,934,000

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