Meanwhile on Planet Babergh – Council Tax

Brian Riley Political - Local ,

As often, there is good news and indifferent news. The good news first is that Babergh’s Council Tax for 2025/2026 will increase by 2.99%. This compares quite well with the latest Computer Price Index (including Housing Costs) of 3.5% (Dec 2024) and the Bank of England’s forecast of 4%.
The 2.99% has been achieved at the cost of running a budget gap of £633,000 which will be funded from reserves.
Everyone knows that I prefer to see low taxes and value for money. Babergh will soon be absorbed into a greater area and so we should ask ourselves why we are still recruiting senior managers, such as an Information Governance Office (salary £43,000 to £50,000). I can understand recruiting a plumber for instant employment but most of the other vacancies can wait until the devolution future is clearer.
We should also ask ourselves how much we are going to have to pay when these jobs become redundant and also what quality of candidate will we see whilst the future is so uncertain.
Disclaimer:
This blog/post is the sole responsibility of its author Brian Riley.
It has not been approved nor is it endorsed by Babergh District Council or South Suffolk Conservative Association.

Meanwhile on Planet Babergh – Lock Up Your Wallets

Brian Riley Political - Local , , , , , ,

Earlier this month, I attended the November meeting of Babergh’s Overiew and Scrutiny meeting (see YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyDYZcRiM7M ). The main focus was the report on the Council’s Progress towards its net zero commitment. The good news is that we are roughly halfway towards our 2019-2030 target. The bad news is that we have picked the low hanging fruit and meeting the rest of our commitment will become more difficult and more expensive.
It is accepted that UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions account for around 1% of the global gas emissions total (based on a range of estimates produced by the UN). Babergh’s population is less than one seventh of one per cent of the U.K. population So, it is a fair conclusion that we can do very little to improve the UK’s pollution position and even less to the world’ pollution problem
The presentation to the Committee contained very little information as to how we are going to meet our targets and how much it is going to cost us. (Please see the YouTube video around the 28 minute mark).
Faced with the prospect of spending more money without seeing what we are going to spend it on, the Committee resolved to recommend that the Cabinet alongside officers re-examine the financial viability of reaching the Council’s target of net-zero emissions by 2030, with due consideration being given to Babergh’s current financial situation.
And then before I could start feeling smug and thinking that we might be on the right track I learned that Babergh are recruiting a Head of Climate & Nature Recovery at a salary between £62,276 and £75,619 plus the usual extras such as pension contributions and other overheads.
We already have a Climate Change Manager so I wonder why we need a new Head of Climate & Nature Recovery
Disclaimer:
This blog/post is the sole responsibility of its author Brian Riley.
It has not been approved nor is it endorsed by Babergh District Council or South Suffolk Conservative Association.

Meanwhile at Planet Babergh – Asleep at the Wheel?

Brian Riley Political - Local , , , ,

On Tuesday (19th Nov) at the Babergh District Council meeting we were treated to the half yearly report on Treasury Management (to 30thSeptember 2024). The paper was full of gems and insights, some overt and others deducible.
For example, in 2015 we invested £2 million in a UBS Multi Asset Income Fund. The fund was closed in September and £1.469 million was returned to Babergh with a resultant capital loss of £531,000. The leadership seemed quite relaxed that overall net interest £727,000 had been received over the life of the investment, so that there was no overall loss.
Except that, as far as I can ascertain we have received interest on a loss making investment and have not made any provisions for the capital loss.
The interest received has gone to revenue and has been spent and so we have been like gamblers spending our winnings but running our losses.
The capital loss is expected to be charged to this year’s accounts.
What else might there be lurking in the local authority financial swamps? Well, we have a nominal £2 million invested in the CCLA Local Authority Property Fund which was valued at £4,520,000 in March suggesting an ongoing capital value loss of £480,000. Similarly, we have a nominal investment of £2 million in the Schroder Income Maximiser Fund which in March was valued at £1,626,000 showing a capital loss of £374,000.
I understand that as a result of revised accounting rules, these losses will need to be provided for next year.
Meanwhile there are bright spots on the horizon (spoiler alert: sarcasm) I am reminded that Babergh and Mid Suffolk are passionate about enabling our communities to be more sustainable, resilient and to thrive.
Doubtless this is why we are advertising the post of Director of Place at a salary of £85,102 – £97,879. His/her responsibilities include bringing together responsibility for our key levers of planning, communities, wellbeing and the economy. You’d think that this was the job of the Chief Executive and that the last thing we needed was another £100,000+ (including national insurance and pension contributions) of overhead.
But the position is being advertised and I wonder who in the present circumstances thought that this was a good idea.
Disclaimer:
This blog/post is the sole responsibility of its author Brian Riley.
It has not been approved nor is it endorsed by Babergh District Council or South Suffolk Conservative Association.

Meanwhile on Planet Babergh – Déjà vu all over again

Brian Riley Political - Local, Uncategorized ,

Last November (https://brian-riley.blog/2023/11/03/meanwhile-on-planet-babergh-3/) I reported on a meeting of Babergh and Mid-Suffolk Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee
One of the key areas looked at was the Annual Review of the Joint Homes and Housing Annual Strategy. Lurking at the back of the paper was the delivery plan which included the following new task: 
“Ensure we deliver a quality repairs and planned works service by holding our contractors to account. Making sure they respond to works orders in a timely manner as set out in their contract KPIs and our tenancy agreements.” 
I was told that we were not checking on contractors’ repairs and the problem was one of resources. In which case we needed a reallocation of resources from writing about work to doing it. I was given to understand that inspectoins would commence in April 2024.
So it was with a sense of some anticipation that I attended this October’s Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting. One of the key areas looked at was the Annual Review of the Joint Homes and Housing Annual Strategy and so at an appropriate time I raised the matter of the inspecting contractors’ work. To my surprise I was told that no inspections were taking place. This was due to a misapplication (my word) of resources. It appears that the Housing Department is focussing on Policies, Protocols & Procedures ignoring the obvious that it’s sharp end performance that counts.
The inspection regime should commence in January or February and that this timescale was realistic.
There was no sense of embarrassment that their focus was inwards and not towards their relationships with contractors.  Nor was there any appreciation of the moral hazards of not checking on contractors.
The meeting can be viewed on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fhaNOul8wo) and my questions are featured just before the two hour milestone. I confess I had trouble keeping a civil tongue in my head.

This blog/post is the sole responsibility of its author Brian Riley.
It has not been approved nor is it endorsed by Babergh District Council or South Suffolk Conservative Association
The copyright on the housing image is owned by Oast House Archive

Meanwhile on Planet Babergh – Asleep at the Wheel?

Brian Riley Political - Local, Uncategorized ,

A recent meeting of the Babergh District Council Cabinet revealed two interesting details.
First the minutes of the previous meeting showed the comment by a councillor that the anaerobic (waste) digestion was more sophisticated than composting.
I suppressed the thought that anaerobic digestion practitioners attend sophisticated parties, enjoying fine wine and having an informed appreciation of ballet and opera but instead I concentrated on the view that the more complicated something is the more likely it is to malfunction.
But we expect to learn more in November.
Meanwhile lurking in the small print of  the General Fund Financial Monitoring 2024/25 Q1 Forecast was the news that interest income was down £723,000. Most of this (£612,000) arose from the unexpected closure of one of the council’s pooled investment funds, which had only recently been announced.
I was unable to get further details except that the closure was unexpected.
There is an experience of people & organisations going bankrupt slowly at first and then very quickly. But even asteroids give notice of impending doom. Which prompts the question of who was asleep at the wheel whilst this “unexpected” situation occurred? When was the investment downgraded to junk status or worse? What role did our Money Investment Consultants play in this debacle?
I’m not suggesting that Babergh is in financial difficulties but I would like to know more and more specifically who was asleep at the wheel.

Disclaimer:
This blog/post is the sole responsibility of its author Brian Riley.
It has not been approved nor is it endorsed by Babergh District Council or South Suffolk Conservative Association.

Starmer & Control

Brian Riley Political - National and other, Uncategorized

The news from the Labour Party conference was quite disturbing.
The Prime Minister’s speech heralded a distinct move into more intervention in our lives. Greater control was promised in the NHS, energy, justice, education, the environment, the office and the economy.
The Taxpayers’ Alliance commented that Starmer claims that he is building a Britain that belongs to the people but in reality he’s tapping up taxpayers to pay for the priorities of backroom bureaucrats, and relentless regulators.
We are already seeing Government by diktat with more pylons and more solar panels on East Anglia’s prime agricultural land. Similarly we are seeing a cascading from London of incomplete regulations  for food recycling.
With the recent revelations of yet more donations from Lord Alli, there are indications that the rules on disclosure will be amended and in echoes of Gordon Brown, the Chancellor is changing the rules on Government borrowing.
It’s all reminiscent of Animal Farm. Care is taken to ensure that all rules are complied with but in effect it is a dictatorship of the people with all decision making and resources flowing to the top to the detriment of most of the population

Starmer – A Pound Shop Politician

Brian Riley Uncategorized

The facts as we know them are that Sir Keir Starmer (SKT) and his spouse received £18,685 and £5,000 respectively for clothing and glasses courtesy of Lord Alli.
Sir Keir and Lady Starmer earn approximately £216,000 a year.
The clothing upgrade (?) comes from a suggestion by Lord Mandelson that Sir Keir should present a sharper look. After all, Lord Kinnoch once suggested that candidates should dress as though they were calling on the Aunties and Uncles on a Sunday morning.
All of which begs the following questions:
What sort of high earning millionaire politician accepts money to buy clothing?
Why does SKT still look as though his suits are Pound Shop specials?
What did Lord Alli look for in return for his gifts?
Are our leaders so grasping that they want to hoover up every penny that loosely lying around?
Meanwhile David Lammy (the Foreign Secretary) who supported the Prime Minister’s clothing donation is no slouch in the hand out department having declared £150,000 in donations and freebies so far this year.
Lammy support is top of the range for fatuous remarks stating Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria accepted donations towards clothing because there are no taxpayer funds to cover UK leaders’ wardrobe costs.
The Foreign Secretary said the couple had accepted donations so they could “look their best” to represent the UK when other countries allowed lavish, taxpayer-funded budgets for clothing for their leaders.
The rest of us buy our own clothing unless our parents decide to give our wardrobes a boost.
But the optics are bad and it’s all reminiscent of post war Eastern Europe. Dictatorship of the people and all resources flowing to the top to the detriment of most of the population

All tunnel and no light

Brian Riley Money Matters, Political - National and other, Uncategorized

We look like facing a very cold winter and beyond.
We have already seen that the Winter Fuel Allowance will be cancelled for those not on Universal Benefits,
I expect to see VAT on private school fees.
I expect to see the single person discount on Council Taxes to be withdrawn.
I expect to see Pay per mile arrangements being introduced. This would be to replace fuel duties lost to electric or hybrid motor vehicles.
I expect the council tax bands to be extended.
I expect to see fuel duties to rise, especially as fuel costs are currently down. (Brent Crude is currently $70 a barrel compared to $82 per barrel in August).
I expect to see changes to Dividend Income and Capital Gains taxes
I expect to see changes in Inheritance Taxes
I expect unlawful immigrants whose asylum applications are being assessed to be released into the community. This will lead to pressures on social housing but more directly it will increase the number of homeless in our area. Homeless people are the responsibility of local authorities, so more local authority expenditure will be required.
Finally, the Local Government Association are lobbying for lifting or removing the referendum threshold for council tax increases. This can only encourage local authorities to increase council taxes to unsustainable levels rather than achieving greater efficiencies.
There are now indications that the so called £22 billion financial black hole allegedly inherited from the last government may not be as bad after all. The Labour Government is refusing to provide key details of the £22bn “black hole” that chancellor Rachel Reeves claims to have discovered, with officials insisting they need more time to ensure that the figures are accurate.
Which suggests that for all of Rachel Reeves’s economic qualifications, these figures have been calculated using the back of a cigarette packet
The Prime Minister has warned that “Things will get worse before they will get better” and I believe him.

Disclaimer:
This blog/post is the sole responsibility of its author Brian Riley.
It has not been approved nor is it endorsed by Babergh District Council or South Suffolk Conservative Association.

Meanwhile on Planet Babergh

Brian Riley Food Matters, Political - Local, Uncategorized ,
EPSON MFP image

Besieged by Bins?

At the Cabinet meeting on Monday, Babergh decided to introduce a food collection service,
This will be in the form of a third mandatory bin for our residents. There are other modifications proposed to the collection service and these will cost around £1 million in the first year.
The figures presented to us did not include possible income from the Government via the Administrator for Extended Producer Responsibility.
Also excluded was how the Council will treat the food waste collected. There was talk of composting (for farmers) and the production of fuel gases. However, when I asked about the where, the when and the how much this might cost and why it was not included the figures presented, I was told that this was a separate project and full details would be forthcoming in due course.
(I felt as though I had stepped out of an episode of Yes Minister).
Disclaimer:
This blog/post is the sole responsibility of its author Brian Riley.
It has not been approved nor is it endorsed by Babergh District Council or South Suffolk Conservative Association.

Earworm from Ezekiel

Brian Riley Nice Things, Uncategorized ,

I often have good intentions as regards attending Mass during the week. However, I am also conscious of my ability (or otherwise) to retain an appropriate demeanour during the service. One such day was Friday 23rd when the reading was from the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel
As can be seen from the extract below Ezekiel was ordered to prophesy over a valley full of bones. saying, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord…. “
I doubt that I would have been able to continue at the service with the earworm on my brain of “Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry ones, Hear the word of the Lord.”
A short extract from the reading is below.

The hand of the Lord was laid on me, and he carried me away by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley, a valley full of bones. He made me walk up and down among them. There were vast quantities of these bones on the ground the whole length of the valley; and they were quite dried up. He said to me ‘… ‘Prophesy over these bones. Say, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord…“I prophesied as I had been ordered. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a sound of clattering; and the bones joined together. I looked, and saw that they were covered with sinews; flesh was growing on them and skin was covering them, but there was no breath in them. He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man. Say to the breath, “The Lord says this: Come from the four winds, breath; breathe on these dead; let them live!”’ I prophesied as he had ordered me, and the breath entered them; they came to life again and stood up on their feet, a great, and immense army.”

Enjoy the earworm