Councils merger on the cards ?

Tumble weed

Well-Known Forumite
Wonder how long before Cannock chase council are absorbed completely?
 

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gilesjuk

Well-Known Forumite
Save money? yeah right. They'll do the merger and claim they need a pay rise due to the increased responsibility. Has "faulty towers" saved us any money yet?
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Save money? yeah right. They'll do the merger and claim they need a pay rise due to the increased responsibility. Has "faulty towers" saved us any money yet?
We are talking about the Borough Council here. They are based in the delightful red brick building along the banks of the Sow. Faulty Towers belongs to the County Council.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
I bet the good folk of Cannock look enviously at how well Stafford Borough is managed and can't wait for the same to happen to them.

All a very far cry from what the 'founding' councillors, who worked tirelessly to improve the lot of their constituents in the 50 and 60s had in mind...
 

gilesjuk

Well-Known Forumite
Of course we can moan about the council all we want, and maybe rightly, but let us not forget the real issue here, they are chronically underfunded by central government.

It's just a shift from central taxation and distribution to local taxation through council tax. In the US the have local rates of sales tax too.
 

Theresa Green

Well-Known Forumite
It's just a shift from central taxation and distribution to local taxation through council tax. In the US the have local rates of sales tax too.
It is NOT JUST a shift

It does not give Local Authorities powers to use their budgets independent of Central Government

It is just another attempt to distract the focus away from the continuing corruption of the Conservative Party in Government

And it will achieve that single goal

People

Are

Stupid
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
Exactly. Council tax hasn't gone up by the value of the central government cuts, and more importantly, general taxation hasn't gone down. It's a way for the Tories to blame the councils for things such as social care.
 
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proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Of course we can moan about the council all we want, and maybe rightly, but let us not forget the real issue here, they are chronically underfunded by central government.
There is also more than just the smidgen of an issue of competence.
 

gilesjuk

Well-Known Forumite
Exactly. Council tax hasn't gone up by the value of the central government cuts, and more importantly, general taxation hasn't gone down. It's a way for the Tories to blame the councils for things such as social care.

It's a complex issue. If the council isn't getting it via council tax they find the cash elsewhere through business taxes, car park charges etc. That's why the high street is dead.
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
It's a complex issue. If the council isn't getting it via council tax they find the cash elsewhere through business taxes, car park charges etc. That's why the high street is dead.
So they shouldn't get it from central government any longer like they used to?
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
I bet the good folk of Cannock look enviously at how well Stafford Borough is managed and can't wait for the same to happen to them.

All a very far cry from what the 'founding' councillors, who worked tirelessly to improve the lot of their constituents in the 50 and 60s had in mind...
In the 1950s and '60s there was the municipal borough of Stafford and Stafford Rural District Council.
It was of course their merger in 1974 with Stone Urban and Rural District Councils that gave us the Stafford Borough Council we all know and love !
 

DoggedWalker

Well-Known Forumite
Of course we can moan about the council all we want, and maybe rightly, but let us not forget the real issue here, they are chronically underfunded by central government.

Actually, whilst there is an issue of funding, there are lots to execs and managers in Council roles who are compensated far beyond what is reasonable.

Stafford Borough Chief Exec is the only borough employee in over 100k but it’s 13 Staffordshire staff on over £100k. Across the country over 2900 staff are in over £100k, so that’s at least £290million a year. Those salaries have continued to rise too.

Merging delivery of services IS a good thing, if posts are cut and money is saved.
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
There's a lot more people in the company I work for on more than £100k and the workforce is probably similar.
 
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