Newbury - Draconian cuts to services proposed by West Berkshire Council
West Berkshire Council are proposing over 10 million pounds in cuts to services in Newbury and West Berkshire.
These are the proposed cuts:Removal of access officer post - £48,000
Cessation of Arts and Leisure Development Service - £54,000
Increase in car parking charges in Newbury, Thatcham, Theale and Pangbourne
Closure of the cash office in the council offices - £44,000
Funding scrapped for CCTV service (40 in total) - £224,930
Closure of Chestnut Walk Care Home in Hungerford - £94,000
Closure of four children's centres in south Newbury, south Thatcham (Lower Way), East Downlands and Calcot - £300,000
Reduction in funding to Citizen's Advice Bureau - £15,000
Funding scrapped for Greener Sub-Partnership - £20,000
Reduction in funding to the Eat 4 Health course - £7,000
Funding scrapped for Empowering West Berkshire - £50,000
Reduction in Family Resource Centre services - £100,000
Scrapping funding for Feel Good Fortnight - £10,000
Reduction in funding for highways maintenance - £522,000
Reduction in home-to-school transport services - £387,100
Removing funding for Housing Related Outreach Support Service - £184,000
Scrapping funding for the Jubilee Centre in Kintbury - £9,000
Reallocation of funding for Learning Independence for Travel - £114,000
Reduction of the mobile library service and the merger of Burghfield Common library and Mortimer library - £90,000
Reduction in funding for the Mental Health Supported Living Scheme - £100,000
Removal of the Oral Health Promotion Service - £24,000
Scrapping of funding for the Pang and Kennet project - £14,000
Reduction in funding for the Primary Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service - £40,000
Reduction in funding for free school holiday activities, free swimming lessons and transport - £16,000
Reallocation of funding for the Pre-School Counselling Service - £83,500
Transfer/closure of the public toilets at The Wharf and Pembroke Road in Newbury - £70,000
Reduction in the rural highways grass cutting service - £10,000
Removal of funding for school crossing patrols - £21,000
Reduction in funding for short breaks for disabled children - £345,000
Reduction in funding for the Smoking Cessation Service - £32,000
Removal of funding for Step by Step Support Lodgings - £100,000
Reduction in funding for Thames Valley Positive Support - £7,000
Reduction in funding for The Edge - £42,900
Reduction in funding for traffic management and road safety - £60,000
Transfer/closure of the Visitor Information Centre in Newbury - £62,000
Reduction in street cleaning - £100,000
Removal of funding for part of the Youth Offending Team's work - £24,183
Shouldn't they be cutting the amount given to Parish and Town Councils as well?
Something not quite right here.
Apparently WBC are giving Newbury Town Counncil £50 odd thousand to pay for a water feature in Victoria Park. Why? It looks as if the Councillors sit on both councils so they can't have been unaware of WBCs problems.