Taxi Driver Online

Stockport council set to axe 174 jobs and scrap services in £12m cuts



Parking charges could also rise in latest phase of a two-year cuts plan which began last summer



Stockport council plans to axe 174 more jobs, cut library opening hours and hike parking charges in a new £12m cuts package.

After-school clubs, holiday play schemes and a youth centre will also be scrapped as the council tries to balance its books.

Council bosses also want to save £1m from a £5m parks budget by asking voluntary groups to take over some work.

The measures are the latest phase of a two-year cuts plan which began last summer.

Then, town hall chiefs laid out £16m of savings, including 145 job losses.

They say the latest raft aims to slash back-office budgets while protecting the vulnerable – but opponents say it is the ‘disintegration’ of local government.

Under the proposals – to be considered next week – dozens of fees and charges will increase.

Meals-on-wheels prices will rise from £4.50 to £5, and three, six and 12-month parking permits in Marple Bridge, Bramhall and Cheadle district centres will rise by an average of 22pc.

A new policy will see ice cream vans charged £1,000 and burger vans £2,000 to stop in council parks, while allotment, sports pitch and taxi license charges will all increase.

Some £625,000 will be wiped off the libraries budget by cutting opening hours and staff – but no closures are planned. Werneth youth centre is expected to shut and move elsewhere.

The council’s 10-strong executive – the equivalent of the government’s cabinet – would also be cut to eight, saving £73,000.

Liberal Democrat council leader Sue Derbyshire said: “We are facing difficult decisions, but we are doing that within the principles we have laid out about protecting the vulnerable.”

If agreed next week, the proposals will be put out to consultation later this month and reconsidered in July.

But Andrew Verdeille, leader of Stockport’s Labour opposition group, slammed many of the proposals as ‘vague’.

He added: “What we’re seeing is the disintegration of local government in Stockport.

“The cuts the Lib Dems have announced fall hardest on young people, the vulnerable and dedicated council staff.”

source: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... 74-1300329

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

So I read all that for this extract "taxi license charges will all increase" ......slow news day or lazy reporting from cc ?

I have to say that CC did not "Report", merely put up a newspaper cutting that includes a reference to Taxi Licence charges. If he had cut and pasted the six words you selected andycable, it would lack any context. I certainly can't agree that this makes CC "Lazy".

I think he is simply showing that the ring fenced budget on Taxi Licensing is potentially going to be abused.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

How does the first quote abuse the second quote.......you speaky de english.....par le vous francais ?

Pas du tout Last time he tried he got barred from the coffee shop

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Well I have re-read it all - and feel the need to make no changes.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

Stubborn as well as illiterate then.

It made sense to me, which in itself is nothing short of a miracle, I think things are beginning to sink in now

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

I didn't write the article.

I was pointing to another council whom are intent on increasing license fees whilst at the same time dispensing with staff. As mentioned by Chris, taxi license fees should be outside the remit of any general fund a council has - the licensing section should be recession proof.

Plymouth City Council is no different to any other local authority, yet last week they announced a 10% drop in fees for the forthcoming year.

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Plymout ... z2KJEwhbch

Manchester City Council is currently being investigated by the Audit Commission because 1.8 million appears to have ended up from the licensing pot into the councils general fund.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Are these paid positions then? Or are these councillors expenses?

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Grandad,