The council will spend £179.2m on services ranging from children and adults’ social care to waste collection in the coming year, even though the continuing national economic difficulties mean that £11.3m of savings will have to be made. Executive also agreed £79.7m of capital spending for 2012/2013, forming part of the four year Capital Programme of investment in roads and street lighting, schools, care schemes and leisure projects.

Today’s decisions mark the penultimate stage in setting the budget for 2012/13, as the Executive recommended the budget for approval by full council on Thursday, 23 February.

Earlier in the budget process, through a survey carried out in the Autumn, residents had told the council that savings should be made from the back office and at no extra cost to the taxpayer.

Residents stated that investment was required to improve roads and transport, while services helping vulnerable people should be protected. The results of last year’s Big Library Debate also showed that residents value their local library extremely highly and feel they are key community focal points.

In order to meet residents’ expectations, Executive have agreed a budget which will see the council:

* Streamline management and administration, cut consultants and reduce the number of buildings the council works at;

* Renegotiate contracts in highways maintenance, energy, information technology, vehicle leasing and in leisure services – specifically at Dunstable and Tiddenfoot Leisure Centres and the Grove Theatre – to provide better value for money;

* Encourage residents to engage with the council through our new website by providing more online services and change the way face to face customer service is provided by moving to appointment systems and use of customer access points;

* Deliver services with a more commercial focus and trade some of our services to bring in income;

* Invest £37m in road maintenance over four years;

* Spend an additional £1.4m in social care for older people and an additional £1.7m on services for adults with disabilities;

* Invest in improving services that help people to live independently at home for longer, so reducing the use of residential care;

* Keep all libraries open and invest £850,000 in them over the next two years, to ensure libraries are modern, sustainable and meet the needs of future generations.

Cllr Maurice Jones, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Corporate Resources at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “Throughout the whole budget process, we have been very clear that we do not want to put extra pressure on families’ budgets by raising council tax and our focus has been on ensuring that residents receive maximum value for money for the rates they do pay. We’ve proved over the last year that we can do this. We’ve remodelled the former costly music service into the viable ‘Inspiring Music’, which offers exciting musical opportunities in schools and the community.”

This new service invites residents to sign up for regular emails on topics ranging from councillor surgery dates to council tax, news, public consultations, waste and recycling, adult learning and more. 

The council is determined to keep our residents informed and up to date. The new service will update our customers on what’s going on and link to key information on the council website, which is available around the clock.

It’s all part of our drive to provide greater transparency through modern communication channels and builds on the success we have had using social media such as Facebook and Twitter. So if you want to get in the know – get online. 

To sign up for email updates go to www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/updates. The service is being trialled until the end of March and if it is successful will be extended.

Protecting front line services by cutting overheads and avoiding council tax rises for next year form the cornerstones of a draft spending plan approved by Central Bedfordshire Executive councillors this week.

The council intends to spend £180m from April 2012 on its wide range of services including highways maintenance, waste collection and disposal, libraries, children’s services and social care. Councillors also agreed a £78.7m capital programme outlining investments in road maintenance – an area which residents highlighted as important in a recent council survey – as well as school buildings, street lighting and new residential care facilities.

A reduction in government funding due to national austerity measures and increased demands on services – in areas like adult social care and children services – means the council needs to cut spending by £10.5m next year and nearly £40m over the next four years. To achieve the savings without cutting frontline services, the draft budget approved by councillors includes ambitious plans to deliver services differently, with a more commercial focus and maximising the use of technology to improve efficiency.

The draft budget has been informed by a survey carried out by the council in the autumn in which over 2,000 residents outlined what they believed the council’s future spending priorities should be.

Cllr Maurice Jones, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Corporate Resources, said: “We’ve constructed a robust budget that reflects the feedback residents gave to our budget survey. We got strong feedback that we should be looking to reduce back office costs, so we are proposing significant savings and efficiencies by reviewing management structures and administration to protect frontline services.

“It is clear from recent government statements that the country still has a long way to go to reduce the national budget deficit. While we are looking to drive through £10.5m of savings in the coming year, we want to ease the burden on our residents by not increasing council tax and also to invest in our infrastructure to support the local economy.”

Measures to close the spending gap include:

* Reducing the number of buildings the council works from

* Streamlining management and reducing money spent on back office administration

* Seeking ways of running services more cost effectively, including looking at private sector providers and considering setting up an independent Trust to run leisure services

* Renegotiating contracts to get the best deals, for example for highways maintenance, energy, information technology and vehicle leasing.

* Offering care contracts and commissioning services jointly with others to increase the council’s buying power

* Charging utility companies for accessing public highways

* Bringing charges in line with those levied by other councils, for example respite care and making sure we cover rising costs, such as charges for issuing Blue Badges linked to changes in the national scheme.

Extra investment is being proposed for some services to help deliver savings down the line. These include

* Improving services that help people to live independently at home for longer and to reduce the use of residential care

* Investment in leisure centres to increase their profitability

* Investment in more energy efficient street lights when replacements are due.

The council’s spending plans are now open for public consultation. Residents can view the budget proposals online at www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/consultations or from their local libraries from next week.

People can take part in the debate on our community discussion website www.letstalkcentral.com, email comments to consultations@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or send written responses to FREEPOST RSJS GBB2 SRZT, Budget Consultation, Central Bedfordshire Council, Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands SG17 5TQ.

The consultation is open until midday on 27 January 2012. Councillors will then use feedback to review the draft budget options, before full council announce the final budget on 23 February 2012.

Having listened to this feedback, the council has drawn up a draft budget for 2012/13.  We are now inviting all residents and partners to comment on the draft budget.  The draft budget is available to view at www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/consultations or in your local library.

The consultation is open until midday on 27 January 2012.  Councillors will then use feedback to review the draft budget options, before full council announce the final budget on 23 February 2012.  What ever your views, we want to hear from you, so please take the opportunity to continue to shape our plans and make your money count.

Local people will have the opportunity to comment on whether or not they consider the plan to be ‘sound’ during this consultation, running from 5 December 2011 until 29 January 2012, by visiting the planning portal or by e-mail: MWPLan@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or by letter /representation form to: The Minerals and Waste Planning Team, Central Bedfordshire Council, Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands, Shefford, SG17 5TQ. The documents can also be viewed by visiting local council offices and main libraries.

Over the next few years, new sand and gravel workings are needed to supply construction materials. Also more waste management sites will help to move society away from landfilling, and towards waste recovery uses (such as mechanical biological treatment facilities and recycling facilities.)

Cllr Ken Matthews, Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Economic Development for Central Bedfordshire Council, said “Both mineral extraction and waste management are important for healthy and growing communities, and this Core Strategy provides the planning policies for where these developments should take place over the next few years.”

The strategy is being developed jointly between Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, and Luton Borough Councils and all three Councils are inviting representations on the ‘soundness’ of the joint Minerals and Waste Core Strategy before it is formally submitted to the Secretary of State for approval.

At the meeting on Thursday night, a number of councillors expressed their strong concerns over the Commission’s proposals.

The area is currently being examined as part of a review of parliamentary constituencies by the Boundary Commission, with the aim nationally to reduce the number of MPs.

Under the review, proposals for the Central Bedfordshire area include placing Dunstable within a Luton-based constituency, Shefford, Henlow and Silsoe would become part of Hitchin and Harpenden, Potton would be part of Letchworth, while Ampthill and Flitwick would be split between two separate MPs.

This means that, although the area would be served by six MPs instead of the current four, just one of those six would solely represent an area within Central Bedfordshire and some of the authority’s wards would be split between two MPs.

Now councillors and officers are working on revised proposals to be put before the Boundary Commission that would have a lesser impact on the area.

Leader of the council, Cllr James Jamieson, who gave evidence at the Boundary Commission review earlier this month, said: “The proposals will have a significant impact and will do nothing to benefit our communities. They will remove historic boundaries and threaten the traditional links between our market towns and their neighbouring villages.

“We, as a council, are extremely concerned that there will be no strong, united voice in Parliament for Central Bedfordshire with just one MP out of six focused on the area alone.

“With many of our smaller villages being moved into alien constituencies, we fear those small parishes’ needs would be lost amid the demands of larger towns.

“”We believe there is a much better solution, and the Council approved Central Bedfordshire’s response and alternative proposal. I have spoken to many of our residents and received strong support for this proposal which largely retains the existing three Central Bedfordshire constituencies.”

Residents are being urged to take part in the public consultation on the proposed changes. The consultation is open till 5 December and is available online at http://consultation.boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk.

Central Bedfordshire’s alternative proposal and response to the boundary commission can be viewed at http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/modgov/documents/s31689/Submission%20v1%203.pdf

Residents across Central Bedfordshire are being encouraged to get involved in shaping the future of local libraries, following the successful Big Library debate over the summer. The council received over 2,000 responses from local residents and stakeholders, and is using all the feedback collected to inform the future direction of local services.

The Library review is all about helping to shape the future of the service, making sure it meets the needs of future generations and offers best value for money.

Central Bedfordshire Libraries are at the heart of local communities and provide a gateway to information, learning and resources for all ages and the council wants to ensure that the service is fit for the 21st century, making best use of modern technology and allowing easy access for all to benefit.

Cllr Ian Dalgarno, Deputy Executive Member for Leisure Services at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “We want to assure residents that the council is not intending to close libraries. The aim of the Future of Libraries consultation is to help improve the services which local libraries currently offer, making them modern and even more accessible to the local community.

“We want our libraries to still look and feel like libraries, and provide the services resident’s value. Each library could be very different to meet the needs of the local people. We also want them to be really great places for people of all ages to learn skills that will help them to get jobs. Your views on  what you want in your local library will help us to set our Library strategy for the next 15 years.”

From what residents have told us already it is clear that libraries are valued by both regular users and non-users, and  the most important part of the service is around the lending of books, CDs, DVDs and spoken word material with friendly, helpful and informative staff. People stated there was a real opportunity for libraries to become community hubs and maximise the use of space in libraries, but feedback has also highlighted the concerns about the loss of the mobile library service, and what opportunities there may be for greater outreach work in rural areas.

Cllr Dalgarno, added: “Like many services across the country, the library service in Central Bedfordshire faces significant challenges. We need to find ways to save money and continue to deliver – and improve – a service that meets local needs and the needs of future generations.”

From all the information, analysis and opinions collated so far, the council has developed a set of ambitions for the library service, which reflects the things local people and councillors think are important, and the way the council would like to improve in the future.

To deliver a “vibrant, high quality, relevant and sustainable library service for the people of Central Bedfordshire for the 21st century” by involving local people in making decisions about their library, being accessible when, where, and how people want to access their services, and helping children, young people, and adults to improve skills and learn.

People can respond to the Future of Libraries consultation by completing the online survey via the Council’s website or by collecting hard copies at local libraries throughout Central Bedfordshire. The consultation closes on 18 January 2012.

All responses will inform the 15 year Library strategy that will be presented to the council in Spring 2012 where a final decision will be agreed.

For example, should we do more to discourage freight (e.g. HGVs) traffic on minor roads in the area? What more can more be done to make it safer to walk and cycle to local schools? Should we be making it easier to get to Harlington train station or Rushmere Country Park and how? Do local bus stops need improving, and if so which routes should we be focussing on? All your comments on local transport matters are welcomed, and are very important as we develop our plans for improving transport in the area.

As well as Heath and Reach, Toddington, and Barton-le-Clay, we would love to hear your comments on transport in the Chalton, Eggington, Harlington, Hockliffe, Sharpenhoe, Stanbridge, Streatley, Sundon, Tebworth, Tilsworth, and Wingfield areas.

You can view the Draft Local Area Transport Plan for your area is on our website at www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/myjourney. We look forward to reading your comments!