Councillor calls for £2m budget cut Cabinet item to be pulled from agenda

Senior Calderdale councillors are being asked to approve plans which will cut services in order to save almost £2m a year from the authority’s budget.

If approved by Cabinet next Monday (October 5), phase one of delivering the Future Council – plans developed through the summer to combat budget deficits exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic – will affect waste and recycling services, subsidised school buses and libraries, museums and public buildings, and result in consultation on possible job losses or redeployments.

But Liberal Democrat Group leader Coun James Baker (Greetland and Stainland) has written to council leader Tim Swift (Lab, Town), asking him to withdraw the Cabinet paper, which he says is unlawful and would delegate powers to the council’s Director of Public Services, Zohrah Zancudi, to make the cuts.

Coun Baker said the notice given was too short. His party is also starting a petition about the waste services issues.

“In law ‘key decisions’ must be published in advance of the papers of the Cabinet meeting,” he said.

“Despite the large sums concerned and the universal impact on council services, this decision has not been correctly flagged as a key decision.

“As such we are questioning the lawfulness of the process and asking the paper to be withdrawn from the cabinet meeting.”

But Coun Swift said the legal advice Cabinet has been given stated that Coun Baker is wrong to suggest that the process being followed is unlawful.

“I am also clear Cabinet will not give delegated authority to officers to make savings without appropriate consultation taking place,” he said.

“All councillors are well aware of the huge financial pressures faced by Calderdale and other councils as a result of Covid, and the likely funding shortfall of £15m next year.

“I believe the residents of Calderdale will expect us to act responsibly and start work now on the tough choices we face in addressing these pressures and carrying out our legal responsibility to deliver a balanced budget.”

Coun Baker said any cuts or reduction to household collections would be massively unpopular and he said his group questioned how projects such as a £1m scheme to improve roads in Park ward, near Halifax town centre, could be justified at a time when cuts like this were on the cards for everyone.

“The Government needs to provide funds to local authorities who have been struggling with additional costs relating to the Coronavirus, but local authorities also have a responsibility to manage their money carefully,” he said.

Coun Swift said: “This is not the time for pedantic arguments over procedure.

“If the Liberal Democrats or the Conservative group have specific proposals on how these issues should be addressed, we look forward to seeing them.”

Cabinet’s meeting next Monday, October 5, will be held virtually via the council’s YouTube channel from 6pm.