The Scoop

Council news from all over

Angela Confeggi | Tuesday 1 February, 2011 22:13

Kudos is in order, Snippets, for your mastery in surviving Skint January. However the same smug smile and congratulatory pint can’t be enjoyed by London’s thirty-three councils, following last year’s cuts in government funding. According to the Evening Standard, none have been game to substantially raise taxes; instead a flurry of higher service charges have hit the town. Throw a ball in Brent? Your rugby team will cost an extra £75. Green thumb in Greenwich? Garden allotments up to 250% of last years cost. With few remedies for the shortfall, London Councils say this is better than ‘cutting front-line services’.

Labour-led Lambeth is facing demands from the government to repay and apologise for the ‘blatant misuse of public funds’. The BBC reports that posters erected, which ask residents for their suggestions on what services to cut under the busted budget, have been labelled a ‘politically opportunistic campaign’. The council insists they state facts, raising both propaganda and grammar-police brows.

Also fishing the public pool, Croydon is consulting with residents as to which of their libraries should close. The Guardian states that the borough will lose five, whilst Brent will cull six. Also potentially sacrificing the social hubs – Lewisham, Camden and Hammersmith & Fulham. As per Londonist’s suggestion, one can find petition, campaigning and flash-mobbing advice at publiclibrariesnews.blogspot.com..

Call it cut-back road-kill or possibly our first boroughmance break-up – either way, Islington and Camden’s ‘groundbreaking’ dream of a shared Chief Executive has evaporated. The Islington Tribune suggests job security concerned Camden’s CEO Moira Gibb and a stand-alone (and significantly cheaper) recruit will succeed John Foster in Islington upon his retirement. Should you wish to throw your bowler hat in the ring, applications close 11 February.

Whilst everyone is scratching for savings, Waltham Forest and Newham councils have challenged the Coalition’s spending decisions, following the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme. According to the Financial Times, Waltham Forest claims it shed ‘more than £11m after investing in land and paying fees’ in preparation for the school repairs roll out.

Still in the High Court, as Snipe goes to press Parliament Square protestors have been ordered once again to dismantle the campsite outside the Houses of Parliament. According to the Daily Mail, Westminster has said the obstructors will face a High Court injunction should they not vacate. Number 10 has weighed in that the ‘royal wedding gives us new imperative to clean up the site’. The inhabitants replied with the same ‘ol.

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