Is There Something to Hide?

(We’ve taken the liberty of appropriating the NIG graphics, again!)

We know that there will be a minimum of £25m in cuts. Councillors are indicating that the level of cuts could run to £40m.

We would expect to see where these cuts will fall in the budget.

Except, there isn’t one.

The new CEO of the council has written to all members. She informs them that councils across the country are facing hard times. This includes Newham and will mean that there needs to be some belt-tightening. Newham will have to make “difficult decisions”. 

A draft budget will go to cabinet at the end of January and a finalised budget will follow to full council on Thursday 29th February.

Councillors will have one month in which to scrutinise, comment and (attempt to) revise the budget. It looks just a little like a fait accompli.

Before you feel too sorry for the mayor and her colleagues, they have known for months that they were overspending, but they have not acted. They have chosen to leave everything to the last minute. It might be mere incompetence. It might be because if they leave it all to the end of the year they can blame it all on the Tory Government.

Either way, look out for the papers to cabinet on 22nd January which will begin to detail the cuts.