Lichfield District Council's offices. Pic: Lichfield District Council

EXCLUSIVE: Jobs and services are facing the axe after Lichfield District Council outlined plans to help plug a £1.7million gap in its budget.

Staff and councillors have already been briefed about the widespread cuts which will impact on a number of services, with the local authority confirming that a number of community and partnership services will end.

Around 20 posts are affected as the first stage of filling a budget hole created by the Government’s decision to remove the £2.7million of funding it awards to Lichfield District Council each year by 2019.

As well as jobs and partnership services being on the line, council leader Mike Wilcox warned that leisure facilities, youth clubs, sport sessions and playschemes across the district could also be hit.

Cllr Mike Wilcox
Cllr Mike Wilcox

“Like councils across the country, we are facing tough decisions as a result of central government funding cuts,” he admitted. “Next year alone we need to save more than £1.7 million and we are facing significant cuts in future years.

“To help reduce our budgets, whilst protecting key services, we have launched a savings programme called Fit for the Future. It includes a fundamental review of the structure of the authority.

“As part of this, we have assessed local people’s views as well as ideas from across the whole council, to come up with a package of proposed measures worth around £1million. The proposals will be considered by councillors in the next few months. They will look at changes and cuts in community and partnerships, leisure and operational services.

“Under the proposals many of our community and partnerships services will be stopped, but we’ll continue to offer support in areas such as community safety, safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults, equalities, work clubs and our grant aid programme.

“Plans also include reducing opening times at King Edward VI Leisure Centre, running a smaller playschemes programme from 2014, and reducing sports sessions, youth clubs and exercise classes.

“With the scale of savings, it is inevitable some jobs will be affected. Our aim is to try to minimise the number of compulsory redundancies, but we know we will not be able to avoid them. From the changes identified so far, about 20 posts will be directly affected and this will regrettably lead to redundancies. We have informed these employees about the proposed changes and they are being provided with full support.”

And the pain may not end there for local residents with further money-saving measures being examined, including charging for access to public toilets in the city.

“The current proposals will be considered by councillors in the next few months,” Cllr Wilcox explained.

“Councillors will also look at proposals to charge for Shopmobility and public toilets, as well as reduce our emergency planning, grounds maintenance, street cleansing and CCTV budgets. These savings will be achieved by taking advantage of new contracts and won’t reduce the services customers are used to receiving.

“While we have found considerable savings so far, we will continue to review our services over the coming months to ensure that they are delivered in the most cost effective way for our customers and within the resources we will have available.”

One council worker – who did not want to be named – said the cuts marked the start of a “slippery slope” for the local authority.

“The local councillors haven’t got a grip on this at all,” he said. “They have been railroaded into this and haven’t stood up to the plans.

“How did Lichfield District Council not have the reserves to avoid this?

“There needs to be a debate about it. We’ll lose local control and services will have to be contracted out if these cuts go ahead.”

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.

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Darren Ennis
10 years ago

I know the council have been told cuts have to be made. Just sad to see things for the kids cut/reduced and security cut/reduced.

Disgusted
10 years ago

Is the Garrick Theatre still getting it’s £100,000 per year subsidies?
I read that it’s now a charitable trust and it’s still getting “Revenue Grants”.

Everything from playschemes to health related funding gets cuts – we’re even going to be charged to use public toilets.

But we’re still going to subsidise Theatre tickets for Posh People?

Disgusting !

Darryl
10 years ago

That’s 17 years, even if they are getting it.

Confusing that Lichfield turned down the government’s council tax subsidy and put up council tax, only to complain about a shortfall.

Cllr Steve Norman
10 years ago

The Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee will consider the proposals in the first instance on the 20th of June. There is no Party whip on Scrutiny and Cabinet Members will be there to answer questions. The Committee’s views will then go to Cabinet on the 2nd of July and Council on the 9th.
The new Chief Executive has asked all staff members for ideas on reducing costs to the council and I expect to see a report on this at the Scrutiny Committee. However, these proposals are mainly about cutting services and whilst it is difficult to come up with more ways of doing things differently or sharing even more services with other councils to meet that £2.7 million cut in support from the Government we do need to ensure that that is done for the sake of our staff and the residents who currently enjoy those services.
I am also confident that Mr Fabricant will want to defend his government’s treatment of, specifically, Lichfield District Council on these pages and will urge the Conservative Leadership on the District Council to grow more businesses and encourage building of houses as this is the only way the council is going to pay its bills over the next few years.

Cllr Susan Woodward
10 years ago

Just to let “Disgusted” and others know, the subsidy by each and every one of us to the Garrick is far more that £100,000 – it’s over 7 times greater. £1.3 million over the next two years – to say nothing of the £millions spent so far, including huge investments to try to reduce costs!

Jozef Nakielski
10 years ago

This means services will be cut but we’ll pretend to be looking at jobs too. In reality we know that no over paid council shirker is going to get sacked. The ten tiers of the big C that cover many departments are safe. The chief exec, the execs, the managers, the department managers, the team leaders, the inspectors, the area managers, and of course the people that actually do the work, the contractors, in between sitting in their vans outside the chippy of course.
Meanwhile our services get cut to shreds.

Jozef Nakielski
10 years ago

I’d rather my taxes go to the Garrick than some dozy uselful over paid un needed manager thats sat in an office drinking tea whilst pretending to be in a meeting all day

GGAllin'sghost
10 years ago

slippery slope indeed. maybe stop opening card shops and buying fancy cars

Jozef Nakielski
10 years ago

I bet there’s a few council workers on here reading and replying whilst we’re paying them to work.

Jozef Nakielski
10 years ago

You could easily lose half of the council staff and it wouldn’t make the slightest difference to anyone, other than building services wouldn’t know what to do with all the vacant offices

Lizzie
10 years ago

Would just like to let the incredibly ignorant “jozef” know that your comments are out of order as council workers are actually losing their jobs.. workers that have not shirked but actually worked incredibly hard to provide services for the community of Lichfield, workers who have famillies and for whom compulsoey redundancy will affect greatly. You also comment that services will be cut but not jobs… do you have a brain cell to talk off, the service is very obviously someones job so if the service goes then so does the job!!! And you certainly will miss them when they no longer exist just you wait and see. Cllr Woodward thankyou for your honesty about the Garrick and i for one would rather have a community service that serves its community than a theatre that is so busy its closed half the week!!. It is sad times for this City and i for one would like to know what public opinions cllrs assessed to reach the decision they have. I dont know anyone in the community who would choose to get rid of the service that serves them best

Kate
10 years ago

Jozef, you come across as very bitter and angry. I’ll guess that years and years ago a council didn’t give you what you wanted and you’re desperate to keep fanning the flame.

For a council the size of Lichfield DC to lose 20 officers is actually a pretty big deal, let alone the loss of services that people take for granted until they’re no longer there. I appreciate the party line is that services won’t be affected, but this is just the start of the cuts; they will.

ps Maybe they just say they’re in a meeting when they know its you calling?

Disgusted (at work)
10 years ago

As Cllr Woodwards just pointed out.
It’s easy to see where £1.3 million can be saved.

Put the ticket prices up!
If people won’t pay –
Board it up and Put a plaque dedicated to the Monsterous people involved in its creation.

And as for having “assessed local peoples views”
Really?
“fit for the future”
“tough descisions”
I’m fuming.

Laurence Skermer
10 years ago

Whilst I support the Garrick, there comes a point when it should no longer be supported at the cost of other, more vital services. I must challenge a couple of comments though. Disgusted, the theatre tickets are not for “posh people”. I fear you reveal more of your own prejudice in this comment. Cllr Woodward, can you check your maths.. 1.3 million over 2 years is less than 7 times 100,000 a year, you have a good point but why spoil it by getting the facts wrong? Again I think you reveal your own agenda rather than seek to illuminate.

Laurence Skermer
10 years ago

Also, for balance, Jozef should reveal that he won’t miss any of the services, living as he does in Atherstone.

Rob
10 years ago

Don’t know what “community and partnership services” are but I bet they cost a fortune and most hard-working taxpayers will be better off without them.

BrownhillsBob
10 years ago

Oh Jozef? Professional anti-council whiner and pot plant stroker. Not to be taken seriously.

Just google his name.

Good people have lost their jobs. I stand with them.

Bob

Lizzie
10 years ago

Rob just for the record community and partnerships are the services the people actually see. The article mentions community safety, work clubs community information, community transport, equality etc and probably cost very little compared to other services as they are the departments that often get their own funding from outside the council… they say in the article that some will carry on but how can they when the workers wont be there to run them!!! Such as the very popular work clubs that actually help people find work.

Lizzie
10 years ago

And in last weeks Mercury it says that cllrs are to recieved a pay rise…
how is that fair or right.
I thought it was a voluntary role they did,
i can see the freedom of information service being checked lots in the next few months

BrownhillsBob
10 years ago

Rob
Someof the folk getting the poke run such frivolous services as credit unions, carer support, community transport and do most of the interfacing with the third sector – that’s the moderneuphemismfor charities that provide formerly LA andNHSservices we can’t run anymore. Losing that interface will cost us all in theming run.
Damn fine people, doing hard jobs
Bob

Doopster
10 years ago

Jozef – people have had their notices already you ignoramus. Real people, people that do far, far more than their contracted hours, and people that have got others that rely on them.

I’m ready to get on the streets for this. This is my city, my people, being fecked over.

fulloflichfieldpassion
10 years ago

ditto to Lizzie.
Dear Jozef Nakielski, you will notice the difference. perhaps not directly but when you are getting bored of the mess around the town centre, wary because of all da’kidz hanging around the town centre, stressing because there are no cheap holiday activities for your and your friend’s children, no support for local people searching for jobs, when the wonderful and award winning park starts to look neglegted and empty, when your nan can’t get to her social club and so on>
then i hope you’ll feel a ickle bit sad for the wonderful hardworking peole at the district council who wark very hard to keep Lichfield District the lovely place you so obviously expect it to be. this doesn’t happen by magic.
.
these first services we are losing are not contracted, not sat outside the chippy and it saddens me to think that you really think that is all the council does. sigh.
>

Cynic
10 years ago

“Laurence Skermer””theatre tickets are not for “posh people” Depends on your definition of posh.
Do you think people who can not make “ends meet” use it instead of eating or is it used by people who have no problem paying their bills? I am not anti the theatre but I do think those that want it should pay for it.

Rob
10 years ago

If local government/communities have reached such a state it suggests to me that the wrong people are losing their jobs. I asked about “partnerships” because it’s oft quoted and lauded but personally I’ve never had anything to do with them. If the funding for them is largely from outside the council as Lizzie says why involve the council at all, they’re not generally regarded as economic or cost effective (employment overheads, absence etc).

Gareth Thomas
10 years ago

The council is loosing good hard working people who have put heart and soul into what they do despite jozef’s Snide remarks about people he has no knowledge of no idea what hours they work and how much effort they put into the community. You the community are loosing a hell lot more. Many of you have already named some of the work these people do, but there is more, they help young people via young enterprise, giving young people a chance to define their futures. These people provide and assist the most vulnerable in our district. These people provide a link between all the partners , making sure everyone keeps focused on what matters to the community whether you agree with this or not its a fact. It’s a fact that these people right now feel themselves vulnerable, no longer appreciated, no longer valued. But I tell you what irrespective of what people say here hating council officers , these people deserve some respect and not to be chewed over like pieces of meat or for some people to gloat

These officers have done more for the Lichfield community than many of those posting on here.

Kate
10 years ago

Cynic, I don’t disagree in one way, but then we’re not talking about the Royal Ballet and the subsidies they receive, which truly are for the benefit of the few. I’d suggest looking at the bigger picture and seeing the benefits of having a theatre in the city. When people go the theatre (even working class oiks like me) they will often eat out before the show. This, of course is good for local eateries and of course Lichfield has a good reputation as a place to go to eat. Local people work in the eateries. Lichfield is a tourist destination. Decimate the tourism offer and you can sit back and watch businesses fail. Councils sometimes have to pay out for the greater good. Unpalatable? Fine. Ask yourself if (a) the Garrick could continue without the subsidy and (b) what would the effect of the Garrick closing be?

I don’t live in Lichfield, so it isn’t really my call. You all have a vote.

BrownhillsBob
10 years ago

Rob, you’re clearly not aged, disabled or poor, so fortunately you don’t come into contact with those services.
Whatever your perceptions may be, authorities and LDC run these well.
Sadly, you’ll learn too late.
Bob

Laurence Skermer
10 years ago

Cynic, so only posh people have disposable income? Everyone else just lives hand to mouth??? You obviously don’t like the theatre, fair enough, but other public facilities are subsidised. Should the people using Beacon Park pay to get in? How about people out at night, they should pay for the lighting? There is a debate to be had about what facilities we want provided and everyone is entitled to an opinion, but you are a broken record on this subject.

Disgusted (at work)
10 years ago

Laurence – or shall i call you Lozza?

The Garrick was built at the expense of losing the civic hall and the arts centre. Both were affordable to large sections of the community.

We cant even afford to put local bands on at the garrick, its too expensive.

Of course we got New Minster house thrown in – a complete joke that never fulfilled its planning conditions of having a public gallery due to sneaking in a few extra luxury apartments, all topped of with the lease sold at rock bottom price.

If you cant see gentrification so blatent,
Check your privileges.

A top flight luxury Theatre is the last thing you should spend council money on.

Cynic
10 years ago

“what would the effect of the Garrick closing be” You would have to travel a few mins down the road! This selection of comments is aimed at a theatre which is not needed or services/jobs which are.

Cynic
10 years ago

“Laurence Skermer””You obviously don’t like the theatre” How wrong can YOU be – but I do not mind paying for my luxuries and would not dream of FORCING others to pay for them!

Cynic
10 years ago

Kate “Lichfield has a good reputation as a place to go to eat.” Please tell me a good place with access for a wheel chair.

Gareth Thomas
10 years ago

Cynic, the malt bar opposite the garrick, double doors that open wide, open plan seating ……

Cynic
10 years ago

“we’re not talking about the Royal Ballet” Now if we were I would be saying we should give them even more money – only joking. But there is little in life better than going to the top places London/ Europe in a box reserved for two.

Cynic
10 years ago

Gareth – Thanks for that – the last time I looked the seats were low and had to go to the rear on the left – a bit tight. Hope I don’t sound a snob but would like a bit more up market for dinner.

Jozef Nakielski
10 years ago

Ruffled a few feathers with the truth did I.
Pot planter stroker says the bikelist with a camers that knows nothing about planning !

TBH and to be fair to Lichfield council I have no idea how good or how crap you are. If you’re as crap as North Warwickshire Borough Council then ALL of my comments are true. However I find that hard to believe.
My comments are based on NWBC kitchen refurbs to so called decent homes standard that 6 yrs on still haven’t been finished despite numerous complaints and partly based on my experiences with my roof garden and commercial quality christmas light display, my voluntary contribution to the community which cost me thousands of pounds each year. The comments on staff level and the two trucks, a van and an inspector with 5 staff an inspector and manager to oversee the forced removal of a grow bag off a porch roof because a spec of soil may go in someones eye, are all true.
Meanwhile elsewhere in the borough other flats have window boxes and landings full of plants.

IF you’re as useless as NWBC then it will be money well saved.
Council staff are council staff, services are services staff. A library is run by library staff regardless of weather they’re paid by the council . It is quite obvious to anyone with a brain cell what is meant by that.

“remarks about people he has no knowledge of no idea what hours they work and how much effort they put into the community.” dito

Jozef Nakielski
10 years ago

“Cynic, so only posh people have disposable income? ”

posh people, bankers and civil servants Cynic.

BrownhillsBob
10 years ago

I’ve forgotten more about planning than you’ll ever know, Percy Thrower. You’re clearly an attention seeker, and your behaviour is akin to a three year old shouting newly discovered swearwords at nursery.

You have insulted some very fine people. People with kids, families, committed to their jobs. People who gave a toss, and did stuff for their communities. Unlike the whiners like yourself, who just sit on your backsides and criticise, because it’s less risky than trying to achieve something positive.

As I said before, you don’t half waffle.

Bob

Jozef Nakielski
10 years ago

“ps Maybe they just say they’re in a meeting when they know its you calling?”

Call them ? Only thing I call them is unrepeatable on here. Put EVERYTHING on email or paper with the cestapo and get it couriered and signed for cos they’ll pretend then never received it

Kate
10 years ago

LOL Oh my Jozef. You really are loop the loop then. Gold star to you for being nutter of the week.

Cllr Steve Norman
10 years ago

The Labour Group has supported proposals to reduce costs (and senior officers have reduced in number by the way) share services and look at new ways of working. I even proposed we looked at sharing a Chief Executive – but of course we needed a like-minded council to share with and that wasn’t forthcoming. We are a lean organisation but historic decisions have not helped the current leader who inherited the Garrick which.
Let me say that I have enjoyed attending various productions and will still do so even if the general council taxpayer doesn’t subsidise my (and the regional audience it was designed for incidentally) ticket but let me give some more financial details.
The Lichfield Garrick opened in July 2003 at a cost of over £5 million. The CAPITAL expenditure alone by LDC on it since then (to stem the losses in income) has been: 2004/05 £10,500, 2006/07 £69,000, 2007/08 £33,400, 2007–2009 £67,000 and in 2011/12 £29,931. The £1.3 million over the next two years may not be the last either.
And it is worth noting that following the transfer of the Housing Stock Labour left the incoming Conservative administration £25.444 million in capital receipts in March 1999 – now all spent. This might be the weakness in any special pleading they may put to Eric Pickles through their Members of Parliament. I await Mr Fabricant’s defence of LDC in particular.

Jozef Nakielski
10 years ago

You don’t like to admit you’re wrong do you bob. You prefer to throw insults to try to cover your tracks.
“People who gave a toss, and did stuff for their communities.”
Again in NW no Councillor does anything for their community unless it involves council propaganda and browny points.
I won’t list all of the events that I’ve helped put on because I won’t have them and the other good people, a few of them town Councillors (rather than council staff )dragged into your insults.
I stand by my comments as they’re true of most if not all councils in Britain. Most civil servants are over paid, they under work or are not needed at all. Yet whinge , whilst sat on their hands in their offices that they’re over paid. They don’t know the meaning of low pay or hard work.

Jozef Nakielski
10 years ago

That’s whats scary about this country, you actually think i am a nutter.

Gareth Thomas
10 years ago

Cynic, fair point! I do agree that wheelchair friendly places in Lichfield is an issue that needs addressing as well as some of the weird positions of street furniture is a bug bear of mine!

BrownhillsBob
10 years ago

No, the scary bit is you know we’re right.

Bob

Kate
10 years ago

Council officers aren’t civil servants. Do some research.

Jozef Nakielski
10 years ago

Bob you’ve not been right about a single thing that you’ve challenged me over to date and i’ve provided links to back it all up yet you still deny it. So no you’re not right about anything .

BrownhillsBob
10 years ago

Yes, Jozef. Of course. Whatever makes you feel like a big man.

*sigh*

Bob

Gareth Thomas
10 years ago

Jozef, your obviously entitled to your views, and i understand fully that you have issues with your own local authority and vice versa.

Jozef Nakielski
10 years ago

sivil servants, council officers, teachers, police plus many more, all over paid whilst real hard workers, grafters slogging their guts out in parcel hubs, picking your groceries for 12 hours on shifts are on minimum wage.