INVESTING IN DERBY’S FUTURE - Labour’s Budget for Derby

I have just completed Labour's alternative budget proposals for next Monday's full council budget setting meeting. These are the headlines which are followed by the paper that was signed off by the Labour Group on Tuesday evening, which I will be proposing to council on March 1st.

Alternative Budget Headlines

• Re-introduce free home care
• Introduce new bus routes to the new city hospital in Mickleover
• Reduction of 25p in cost of school meals from September and a further reduction to 50p and 60p for primary and secondary schools respectively
• Introduce affordable school breakfast clubs to all primary schools in the city
• Devolve £2m of Highways maintenance to Neighbourhood Boards
• Offer at least 1000 energy efficiency grants to owner occupiers in each of the next three years
• Install photo voltaic solar cells to 300 council houses to reduce fuel bills and cut carbon emissions
• Ensure Street Pride initiative includes reintroduction of free collection of bulky items and incorporates enforcement, education and removal of littering, flytipping and graffiti within 24 hours
• Introduce an out of hours Noise Nuisance Team
• Establish a youth engagement fund to prevent young people from becoming alienated from their communities
• Bring forward replacement of streetlights that are temporarily deemed to comply under the PFI streetlighting contract
• Improve, extend and reopen public conveniences in the city
• Develop and implement sustainable energy systems including CHP, wind, hydro and solar by the end of the three year budget cycle
• Enhance Concessionary Fares Scheme to enable free travel for medical appointments prior to 9.30am and free usage until midnight.
• Create 300 apprenticeships over the next three years
• Retain the home to school transport service to faith schools and develop an equivalent school transport service for every other school in the city by the second/third year of this budget cycle.
• Develop an additional £10m regeneration capital fund
• Develop £5m neighbourhood capital investment fund
• Set aside funding for comprehensive leisure strategy
• Introduce a Council Mortgage Scheme
• Introduce a Derby City Council Business Loan Banking Facility

Savings / Efficiencies / Income Generation

• Utilise DECATS savings to assist in funding the Labour Group’s ambitions
• Develop more efficient and effective commissioning processes
• Optimise use of IT systems
• Seek more partner contributions towards joint schemes and initiatives based on the Local Government Association’s (LGA’s) ‘Total Place’ concept
• Utilise trading powers
• Introduce a Council Mortgage Scheme
• Introduce a Derby City Council Business Loan Banking Facility



1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Derby has weathered the impact of the recession better than many other cities around the UK because of our hi-tech manufacturing and aerospace sectors that employ large numbers of local people. But there are still a large number of our fellow citizens who are concerned about their future. The city council should therefore direct its activities to addressing the impact of the economic downturn.

1.2 Last year, the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and so-called ‘independent’ councillors voted together to prevent Labour’s prospectus for economic recovery and improved front line services from being debated.

1.3 The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats displayed a fundamental misunderstanding of local government finance during last year’s council budget debate. The council has therefore missed an opportunity to take the necessary steps to move our city forward.

1.4 Having rubbished our calls for greater efficiencies, the current Liberal Democrat administration then adopted many of the principles we were advocating last year. However, one fundamental area where we differ is that we would not impose any compulsory redundancies as a result of our efficiency programme.

1.5 Labour’s budget plans would see the resources being released through our efficiency programme being used to assist hard pressed small and medium sized enterprises. They would be used to offer a stimulus to the local housing market and assist the depressed construction industry in the city. They would be used to improve front line services, including offering assistance to hard pressed families and elderly people. And they would be used to create a capital fund to facilitate city regeneration and neighbourhood regeneration.

1.6 But rather than wait for the efficiencies to work their way through the system, we would make an immediate start by utilising the council’s considerable reserves in the early part of the budget cycle then replacing them as the funding released through the efficiencies becomes available.

We remain committed to empowering employees at all levels in the organisation to drive out cashable efficiencies from all service areas across the council. This means embedding a philosophy of systematic, continuous improvement across the council focusing on activities that create income streams, reduce waste and align processes to customer value.

1.7 By utilising efficiency savings and identifying new income streams we would seek to maintain Labour’s legacy of providing high quality council services in return for the lowest Council Tax in the East Midlands Region.

1.8 We would also make sure that Labour’s alternative budget balances over the three years of this budget cycle.

2. SOCIAL CARE

2.1 When Labour ran the Council we delivered a free home care service for elderly and disabled people. We continue to cherish the principle that care should be free at the point of need. It was that commitment to conviction politics that underpinned the introduction of the NHS in 1948 and we believe it is as relevant today as it was then.

2.2 It is for that reason that we would reintroduce a free home care service that was abandoned by the present administration.

2.3 The Labour Group is alarmed by the decision of the Liberal Democrat and Conservative Councillors who used a full council meeting to overturn the Personnel Committee’s decision retain the essential car users allowance for staff. We recognise that many of the social care staff who will lose £1200 per annum are relatively low paid and undertaking vital tasks for the community. We would therefore reverse the decision that was forced through the full council meeting in January by the combined voting strength of the Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups.

2.4 Now the Labour Government is taking a bill through Parliament to introduce a free home care service for people with critical needs from October this year. This therefore gives the Council the opportunity to reintroduce a free home care service at no additional cost for people with moderate needs as well as those with critical needs. This can be achieved by utilising the specific government grant of around £2m a year for this purpose and the recurrent annual departmental underspends.

3. PUBLIC TRANSPORT

3.1 In last year’s alternative budget we proposed to fund a direct bus link to the Royal Derby Hospital. This was to avoid people living on the other side of the city having to take two bus journeys to get there. We also proposed to fund this service to avert the parking chaos in Littleover that has ensued

3.2 We are therefore once again proposing to secure a direct bus link serving Derby’s suburbs by establishing a new service that would run on part of the city’s ring road.

3.4 Demands have grown louder to extend the concessionary travel scheme to midnight and modify the scheme to enable Gold Card holders to benefit from concessionary travel before 9.30am when attending medical appointments at hospital.

3.5 We would therefore earmark the necessary funding, in Year 2 of this budget cycle, to cover the cost of this enhancement. This will coincide with this function becoming the sole responsibility of the city and county councils. We would use the period leading up to this change to carry out a feasibility study into how to implement this improvement to the scheme.

3.6 We would retain the home to school transport for children attending faith schools, which has been threatened by the Liberal Democrat administration. Many of the children attending these schools inevitably travel from outside the immediate vicinity of the schools.

3.7 We would also develop an equivalent school transport service for every other school in the city from January 2011.

4. SCHOOL BREAKFASTS AND SCHOOL DINNERS

4.1 With growing concern about childhood obesity, poor diets and the impact this can have on learning we would take this opportunity to promote healthy eating through the school meals service.

4.2 We would set a target to reduce the cost of school dinners to 50p for children attending primary schools and 60p for secondary schools. We accept that this can’t be done immediately, but the Liberal Democrats’ decision to increase in the price of school meals to £2 each has created an unacceptable financial burden on Derby’s hard pressed families.

4.3 We therefore want to see urgent action to reduce the price of school dinners by 25p starting in September and make further reductions as efficiency savings work through the system.

4.4 A good nutritious start to the day aids learning and for that reason we would continue to support school breakfast clubs in the city’s priority neighbourhoods and extend them throughout the city as efficiency savings make funds available.

5. FUEL POVERTY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

5.1 In spite of the disappointing outcome of the Copenhagen summit, climate change remains the biggest challenge facing civilisation around the world. We stand by our commitment to make Derby a sustainable city by 2025 by localising energy production and improving the energy efficiency of Derby’s residential and commercial premises

5.2 We therefore want to see the council offering at least 1000 energy efficiency grants to owner occupiers in each of the next three years
As well as providing energy efficiency grants, we would also fund an advice team to publicise this new initiative and promote the numerous government and utility company schemes.
5.3 We also want to make further inroads into addressing fuel poverty amongst council tenants. We would achieve this by taking advantage of the Labour Government’s feed-in tariffs system in order to install photo-voltaic fuel cells to 300 council dwellings. This would reduce electricity bills by around £180 per year in addition to making further significant carbon savings.

5.4 Labour’s alternative budget last year included amendments to the Housing Revenue Account to address fuel poverty in council dwellings. This part of our programme was agreed by council at the budget setting meeting and has made a huge difference. Tenants have seen reductions in their bills of around £300 per year. The typical reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is around 35% - down from around 5.3 tonnes per year to 3.3 tonnes. That is why we want to see the success of Labour’s budget proposals for council tenants being extended to people living in private accommodation too

5.5 Some work has been undertaken by the council to look at the feasibility of combined heat and power (CHP) systems to meet the energy requirements of municipal buildings. But we want to see the council go further by the end of this three year budget cycle by developing and implementing other sustainable energy systems. This should include wind, hydro and solar as well as CHP systems.
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6. EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES

6.1 Giving local people greater influence over public services and the deployment of public funds in local neighbourhoods. This means empowering elected members to be more effective in responding to the local concerns and priorities of their constituents. It also means strengthening the neighbourhood teams that were established by the previous Labour led administration. We want to see well staffed teams, especially in those neighbourhoods facing the greatest challenges. These teams should include staff from a number of different disciplines, including health, community safety and other professionals to enable them to more effectively address community priorities.

6.2 The perception of anti-social behaviour by young people is an issue that concerns local communities around the city. We want to see additional resources going to support projects and services that engage young people in positive activities. Investment in the council’s and independent youth services would therefore be prioritised to reassure the public and re-engage those young people who have become alienated from their communities. At the same time, ways need to be found to support and reward the good behaviour of the vast majority of young people.

6.3 In order to reduce anti social behaviour and neighbourhood disruption through excessive noise levels at night, we will re-introduce and out of hours ‘noise nuisance team’ with immediate effect.

6.4 Fly tipping and littering have reached epidemic proportions in some neighbourhoods around the city. We would therefore ensure that the new ‘Street Pride’ initiative includes the reintroduction of the free collection of bulky items. The initiative should also incorporate enforcement, education and removal of littering, flytipping and graffiti within 24 hours

6.5 We would top slice and devolve £2m of the council’s highways maintenance budget to the 17 neighbourhood boards.

6.6 In allocating this money, a weighting formula would need to be established to take account of the age and length of roads/footways in each area to ensure the distribution was fair and meets neighbourhood needs.

6.7 The replacement of the city’s streetlights has made a big contribution in addressing the fear of crime. In order to bring the benefits of this scheme to more local people we would bring forward the replacement of streetlights that are “temporarily deemed to comply” under the PFI streetlighting contract.

6.8 There is a need for capital investment around the city in local neighbourhoods and rather than offering a piecemeal approach we would establish a £5m neighbourhood capital investment fund. Neighbourhood boards would then be given the opportunity to work up schemes in their area and then bid for a share of this £5m pot. A panel to determine these applications would be established made up of councillors, resident neighbourhood board members and officers.

7. PUBLIC CONVENIENCES

7.1 Last year the Labour Group collected over 11,000 signatures against the Liberal Democrats plans to close 10 public toilets, including every public convenience in the city centre. Public toilets are essential for young families and with an increasing elderly population, they are even more important today than they were in the past.

7.2 We would therefore improve, extend and reopen public conveniences in city centre, parks and district centres and provide appropriate supervision prevent vandalism and anti-social behaviour that the Liberal Democrats cited as justification for closure.

8. INCREASING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

8.1 As one of the city’s largest employers we would set aside resources to offer a broad range of new apprenticeship opportunities to help our young people obtain a career. We would also like to see the council using its leverage through its procurement processes to encourage suppliers and contractors to promote skills and offer apprenticeships.

8.2 We would therefore aim to create 300 council apprenticeships over this three year budget cycle.

9. PUBLIC WORKS SCHEMES AND £10m REGENERATION FUND TO STIMULATE LOCAL ECONOMY

9.1 A public works programme is important to the future prospects of our city in terms of establishing an environment for investment and job creation. As we said last year, we want to see projects brought forward including the delayed refurbishment of the Council House and relocation of other council offices.

9.2 By improving the public spaces between buildings, we not only enhance the city for local people, we also make it easier to bring new relocations to our city. This in turn establishes new employment prospects and wealth that is spent in Derby’s economy thereby creating an economic virtuous circle.

9.3 The previous Labour led administration set out on an ambitious public building programme throughout the city, providing excellent new facilities including new schools, libraries and community centres. The council’s Public Realm Strategy that was also adopted during that period assigned £100m over a five year period to improve public spaces and public buildings in the city centre. These measures need a new impetus.

9.4 In the present market conditions it is also necessary for the council to find ways of facilitating the redevelopment of strategic regeneration sites around the city through land assembly and gap funding. The current administration have taken our idea and incorporated a two year commitment into their budget proposals, but we would set aside funding to ensure resources were available in the third year of this budget cycle too. This would add a further £10m capital fund for this purpose in addition to that proposed by the current administration.

10 ESTABLISHING A DERBY CITY COUNCIL ‘BANK’

10.1 Although we are coming out of the global recession, small and medium sized enterprises in the city would benefit from being able to access finance from a council bank to invest in their business.

10.2 Thousands of local people work for SMEs in the city, and it is therefore crucial that they are given the support they need to help Derby to take full advantage of the economic upturn.

10.3 We would therefore establish a City Council Business Loan Fund and offer business loans to Derby’s SMEs protecting and creating local jobs in the process.



11. HOUSING

11.1 The housing and the mortgage market remain fragile. Many local citizens are still finding it difficult to obtain a mortgage from banks and building societies.

11.2 Last year we proposed that the council should reintroduce a mortgage scheme for local people, but this was rejected by the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives. In view of the ongoing difficulties in the housing market we are making the same proposal again. This would assist aspiring home owners and help to stimulate the flagging housing market as well as the subsidiary businesses that rely on a buoyant housing market for their success.

11.3 We would ensure the Derby Advice service, (now part of the Derby Community Legal Advice Centre on Green Lane), has additional resources to ensure assistance is available to local people struggling with debt and low incomes, brought about by the credit crunch.

12 COMPREHENSIVE LEISURE STRATEGY

12.1 We support the comprehensive leisure strategy that would secure regional facilities in the city centre, including an indoor sports and entertainment arena and an Olympic swimming pool, together with enhanced neighbourhood facilities too.

12.2 We would also want to establish local neighbourhood leisure centres and enable access to sporting facilities in schools around the city.

13 EFFICIENCIES

13.1 Having rubbished the Labour Group’s proposed efficiency savings in last year’s budget, the Liberal Democrats have agreed an efficiency programme that will deliver substantial savings. We would utilise these saving to deliver our ambitious programme for the city, but we would give a guarantee that it would not result in compulsory redundancies for council employees.

13.2 We would also develop more efficient and effective commissioning processes in order to deliver significant cost savings. We would also look to undertake joint commissioning with other public sector bodies to deliver larger economies of scale.

13.3 We would also look to optimise the use of IT systems to secure substantial cost savings over and above those identified by the current administration’s budget proposals.

13.4 At a time when the public finances are under pressure, we seek more collaboration with other public sector bodies to eliminate duplication and maximise partner contributions towards joint schemes and initiatives.

13.5 The Labour government has introduced legislation making it easier for local authorities to trade. We would identify opportunities to secure income streams through these trading powers.

13.6 The introduction of a Council Mortgage Scheme and a Business Loan Banking Facility would deliver an income stream for the authority as well as providing a valuable service to citizens and local businesses alike.

I'M STANDING UP FOR DERBY’S SURE START CENTRES

A new campaign has been launched to fight for the universal services for all families and children under five that are provided by Sure Start, which have been threatened by the Tories. The ‘Shout out for a Sure Start’ was set up this week by the charity 4Children and the popular children’s TV character Peppa Pig.

A new website has been launched giving more information and whetre people can sign a petition to show their support for the campaign at www.shoutoutforasurestart.org.uk

Local parents have told me how much they value the services provided by their local Sure Start Children’s Centres. Most of them say they can’t imagine what it would be like if their local Children’s Centre wasn’t there. Of course back in 1997 there weren’t any Children’s Centres in Derby. It’s only thanks to the investment from the Labour government that there are now 17 across the city, offering services to hundreds of families with young children. Several more are due to open in Derby later this year.

It is now recognised that the early years of a child’s life are vitally important, which is why Labour is committed to continue investing in Sure Start. But Labour’s commitment isn’t shared by the Tories. Rather than the universal service for all families that Labour has created, David Cameron says Sure Start should only be reserved for the poorest families. He wants to cut £200m per year from Labour’s investment in Sure Start. That would lead to one in five children’s centres being forced to close their doors.

David Cameron’s plans would be a big step backwards in Derby because our Sure Start Children’s Centres are making a real difference to hundreds of local families. That’s why I’m backing this campaign to shout out for Sure Start and promote the universal services on offer for families across Derby like childcare and healthcare.

This is the list of Derby’s Children’s Centres. Under David Cameron’s plans, at least three of them would be forced to close.
• Alvaston
Lakeside Primary School, Alvaston, London Road, Derby, Derbyshire, DE24 8UY
• Austin Sunnyhill Children's Centre
Homelands, Old Normanton, Browning Street, Derby, Derbyshire, DE23 8DN
• Babington (formally known as Normanton)
Stonehill Nursery School, Stonehill Road, Derby, Derbyshire, DE23 6TJ
• Becket Children's Centre
33 Stockbrook Street, Derby, Derbyshire, DE22 3WR
• Boulton Children's Centre
47b Holbrook Road, Alvaston, Derby , Derbyshire, DE24 0DD
• Chaddesden (South)
c/o Meadow Farm Community Promary School, Chaddesden, Foyle Avenue, Derby, DE21 6TZ
• Derwent Children's Centre
c/o Beaufort Community Primary School, Hampshire Road, Derby, Derbyshire, DE21 6BT
• Mackworth Morley Children's Centre
Reigate Primary School, Mackworth, Reigate Drive, Derby, Derbyshire, DE22 4EQ
• Mickleover/Littleover (Brookfield)
Mickelover Littleover Children's Centre, Mickleover, 50 Brierfield Way, Derby, Derbyshire, DE3 9SA
• North Chaddesden
3 Audrey Drive, Chaddesden, Derby, Derbyshire, DE21 4NP
• Oakwood
c/o Parkview Primary School, Oakwood, Springwood Drive, Derby, DE21 2RQ
• Osmaston Allenton Children's Centre (Lord Street)
Lord Street Community Nursery School, Allenton, Lord Street , Derby, Derbyshire, DE24 8XB
• Pear Tree
Pear Tree Community Room, Pear Tree Junior School, Derby, Derbyshire, DE23 8PN
• Sinfin Children and Young People's Centre
Sinfin Lane, Sinfin, Sinfin Moor, Derby , Derbyshire, DE24 9PG
• Spondon Children's Centre
c/o Asterdale Primary School, Spondon, Borrowash Road, Derby, Derbyshire, DE21 7PH
• Sure Start Rosehill Children's Centre
Sure Start Centre, 17 - 19 Lower Dale Road, The Big Building, Derby, Derbyshire, DE23 6WY
• West End Children's Centre
Central Nursery School, 43 Nuns Street, Derby, Derbyshire, DE1 3LR

LIB DEMS DAWDLING ON HYDRO POWER PLANT

LIBERAL Democrat council leader Hilary Jones is coming under more pressure to push forward plans for an energy generating plant on the River Derwent after the Environment Agency gave the proposals the green light.

The Longbridge Weir Hydro Power Plant would use power generated by the river for nearby public buildings, reducing Derby's carbon emissions and saving Council Tax payers money through reduced energy bills.

Fears that the Environment Agency could pull the plug on the scheme have now been ended after planners at the council received a letter confirming there would be no objection.

It was the Derby Labour Group that first came up with the plans, and I have now written again to Mrs Jones demanding action.

Concerns about any issues the Environment Agency could or might raise have been bandied about for long enough. The agency's answer is clear: they don't have a problem with this scheme.

What we now need is for Derby City Council's Liberal Democrat cabinet to at last demonstrate some leadership and get this thing moving.

They've been dawdling along for far too long but there could be no greater incentive than the savings, carbon and cash, that this scheme would bring.

The Longbridge scheme was first conceived after Labour made a commitment to cut Derby's carbon emissions by 25 per cent inside five years.

The current Lib Dem administration has since reduced that target, aiming for a three per cent reduction this year.

CALL ON DERBY'S TORY CANDIDATE FOLLOWING BBC REVELATIONS

I have written to the Tory candidate in Derby North to urge him to commit to a clean General Election campaign after BBC revelations that Conservative Central Office had used bogus statistics about crime.

Conservative leader David Cameron had claimed violent crime was rising across the UK but the party was forced to backtrack after a BBC journalist revealed that the figures being compared were not like-for-like.

Figures I have obtained from the Derbyshire Constabulary show that crime rates in Derby have seen a dramatic reduction since 2002. Violent crime and criminal damage in Derby have been cut by around 25 per cent, while domestic burglaries and vehicle crime have been halved.

I am asking Stephen Mold for a guarantee that he will not use the bogus statistics because the Tory shadow home secretary, Chris Grayling, has refused to give any such assurance.

Everyone now accepts, including Conservative Central Office, that the figures Mr Cameron published are flawed.

I've met Stephen Mold on a number of occasions and he has always assured me that his campaign will be a clean one. What we need now is an assurance that he won't be using these statistics to paint a worrying and untrue picture of Derby.

It's hugely disappointing that neither Mr Cameron nor Mr Grayling have given that assurance, but that's what we now need from Mr Mold.

FREE LAPTOPS AND BROADBAND FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN IN DERBY

Hundreds of families with school age children across Derby could benefit from a new scheme offering a free laptop and broadband access, according to Derby Labour Group leader, Chris Williamson. Families with a child in years 3 to 9 at school and eligible for free school meals can apply for the special laptop and broadband access.

The scheme that was launched by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Schools Secretary Ed Balls will mean thousands of children and their parents will be able to get internet access at home to boost their school work.

Trials of the programme showed that children who benefitted spent an hour more each week learning online, compared to their classmates who already had the internet at home. And 81 per cent of parents believed that home access had increased their involvement in their child’s learning.

I am now calling on the Derby City Council to also write to local parents urging them to check whether they qualify under the ‘Home Access programme’. Parents can check if they are eligible by calling 0333 200 1004 or visiting www.homeaccess.org.uk

“Computers are no longer a luxury for the few. They are just as essential a part of education as books, pens and paper.

That’s why I am calling on the council to support this initiative because hundreds of families across Derby could be eligible. It’s essential that children without the internet at home are not left behind.

By helping children to succeed in school and obtain the skills they need to get good jobs in the future, we will also be assisting Derby’s local economy to stay ahead of the competition.

This initiative will give children the opportunity to do coursework and research on the internet as well as helping parents to get more involved in their child’s education.

Action Demanded on Green Electricity

CONCERNS are growing that green plans for a hydro-electric plant on Derby's River Derwent are still being delayed by Derby City Council’s ruling Liberal Democrat cabinet.

The Longbridge Weir Hydro Plant was only granted planning permission last month, even though proposals to generate power from the river were first unveiled by the then-Labour leadership in 2006.

Outline designs were then drawn up, but the idea ground to a halt after the Lib Dems took control of the council two years ago.

The council has blamed the delays on the Environment Agency who raised concerns about flooding.

I have now written to Lib Dem council leader, Hilary Jones and to the Environment Agency demanding a commitment to find a solution.

In my view, too much time has already been wasted in failing to make progress on this project and I want to see work starting before the end of the year.

The hydro electric plant would be a win-win for the council and the city. It would save on public money by providing electricity to civic buildings and make a big dent in Derby's carbon output at the same time.

We've already seen the Lib Dems falter on the 10/10 commitment on climate change, rubbishing their claims that they are an environmentally friendly party.

This proposal was given to them on a plate by the previous Labour cabinet and it's time we saw some action on it. If they don't feel able to push on with the plans, they should at least explain their reasons to the people of Derby.

Under Labour in 2006, the council committed to cutting its carbon emissions by 25 per cent within five years. That target appears to have been abandoned by the Lib Dems, who recently revealed that their target for 2010 was just three per cent