Anyone who felt the Unitary transition was in the best interests of local people should hang their head in shame.
Today the agenda for the cabinet has been produced and the senior officers of Cornwall Council are recommending the sell off of the Trenant Council offices saying that it is now surplus to requirements. The office has been systematically wound up since January last year, a long time before Cornwall Council existed. The staff at the office have been left in limbo not knowing for over a year their destiny in the restructuring process.
I would like to be very clear about why we are where we are.
It has become increasingly apparent to myself and several of my colleagues that this process was started because the then Liberal Democrat controlled County Council where either unable or unwilling to show any kind of financial management or budgetary control. The only answer for their profligate spending was to destroy the District's ,take their assets and plug their black hole.
I feel increasing sorry for the staff and residents who rely on the services.
The thought of selling of assets at the bottom of a recession is frankly disastrous. However Cornwall Council face a black hole that even Steven Hawking would have a job to explain. The current deficit is 550 million pounds. That's debt that yours, and my family will be paying off for generations.
I don't have a Liberal Democrat money tree at the bottom of my garden. DO YOU??
I lay here in my flu state and have just read your blog Scott.
ReplyDeleteI believe that there will be more to come to light yet as well as the £550 million already known about.
But my main issue is a magical word that is passed around our Council and planning departments and, as far as I can see, almost guarantee's you planning permission and that is ........ AFFORDABLE. Can we get this straight, there is no such thing for local people as affordable housing. Mark Kazmareck (I Know I have spelt his name wrong)spouts on about affordable this and affordable that and, I see that Graeme Hicks has now got in on the act.When will they see that at the bottom end of the market even a £120,000 is way beyond the means of most couples in Cornwall if you take away the so called Key workers. Sorry for the rant but Flu does funny things to the old brain box.
The debt level is reasonable given the Council's assets, income, and turnover. It may make sense to cut costs by disposing of rented office accommodation. Disposing of assets means reducing future borrowing capacity - if some office accommodation is no longer needed there is nothing to stop the Council transferring property it owns to community groups or redeveloping for housing use. The recommendation to sell is a Tory choice that may not be best for communities locally and across Cornwall - see here http://charlottemackenzie.blogspot.com/2010/01/cornwalls-tories-selling-assets-cutting.html
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