Thank you Mr Mayor, before I start I just wanted to clarify something that was said earlier that referred to a partnership in the council between the LibDems and The Independents – I just wanted to clarify there’s a partnership cabinet not a partnership Council. I’m an independent councillor and not in partnership with any other party.
I’d like to express my thanks and appreciation to councillor Jones and the officers for devising a balanced budget which gives us some much-needed breathing space for the upcoming year. Nevertheless I have concerns regarding its long-term viability over the course of the next year and I fear that we might face potential imbalances before the end of the next financial cycle as we’ve heard 77% of our budget is taken up with statutory services this figure will continue to grow and with the demand for these Services increasing the aging demographic of our borough and people learning about RBWM’s exceptional services, prompting them to relocate here to benefit from them. Unless the government implements significant measures to support these essential services, I am doubtful that we can maintain a balanced budget even with the upcoming transformation project.
I note the largest savings in adult Adults Services relies on people remaining in their own homes for longer and for older people to be taken in by younger people. Whilst I’m dedicated to supporting elderly residents to remain in their homes for extended periods, as evidenced by my personal experience with my 93 year old father, who receives daily care, I am concerned by the fact that carers are rarely paid more than the minimum wage and face significant challenges in recruitment and retention. I know this was mentioned earlier by a couple of speakers but we can’t underestimate this. So due to these factors I’m sceptical about the budget’s ability to stay balanced as unforeseen expenses are likely to arise.
As a councillor representing Clewer and Dedworth East the most deprived area in the borough my residents are rightfully questioning the value they receive for their monthly payments of council tax residents have witnessed a decline in services ranging from unfulfilled promises of flower baskets from last year’s budget to inadequate grass cutting and park maintenance. Additionally, there is concern about potential reduction in bus services and the lack of any noticeable enforcement such as the absence of the four police officers also promised in last year’s budget.
Furthermore, with the rise in parking fees to park within their own town contributes to their dissatisfaction. Less than 10% of my residents will benefit from the statutory services so most will be thinking that they will they are not receiving the value for money from the council tax. Councillor Reynolds himself mentioned at last year’s budget meeting that the current parking offering to residents isn’t sufficient and referred to increased Winds of parking prices as tourist tax and that we should provide discounted parking to residents. However, we now find ourselves faced with even higher parking fees and still only a 1our free system, which is utilised by only a few residents due to the complexity of registration. If we fail to address this issue our residents May seek alternatives to visiting our town centres or finding alternative parking arrangements. As we heard earlier we’re looking at ways to generate Revenue in the budget through the ferris wheel in Alexandra Gardens in Windsor while I understand that the contract negotiations are ongoing I urge the cabinet to secure a more favourable deal than receiving only 10% of the profit, especially considering the council’s responsibility to maintain the park and cover electricity costs this Arrangement doesn’t seem advantageous to us at all similarly the fact that we only made 12,000 from Windsor on Ice which occupied the park for three months translates to £234 a day, which is concerning so Windsor is the Cash Cow of the borough yet again, except the residents do not reap the benefits. Obviously, this is partly due to the fact that Windsor remains unparished. The unparished precept we contribute as part of our council tax could be spent anywhere in the borough, whereas if we were a parish then obviously it would be ring fenced for Windsor.
As many of you are aware I voiced my opposition to the closure of the museum so I’m pleased to hear that there are plans to relocate it to a more suitable location however I am concerned about the potential costs associated with this relocation and refurbishment of the Guildhall as I do not see these expenses as counted for in the budget. So for me there are simplv too many uncertainties and hopeful outcomes to provide my full support for the budget this evening thank you
You can watch the whole budget meeting here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B_g2jL3RHg