Savings could provide £20m for priority services

10.55.00am GMT Wed 3rd Feb 2010

David Jenkins

Cambridgeshire Lib Dems have taken the lead to show how aggressive savings could give the county £20 million more for priority services in the next two years.

They have revealed how hundreds of thousands of pounds are being thrown away on paperwork, energy bills, glossy brochures and unnecessary travel which could be ploughed back into the coffers.

The savings would provide a spending package for £13 million worth of road and pavement improvements, help for Children's Services and Adult Social Care to protect the most vulnerable and much needed improvements for bus and rail travel among other things.

David Jenkins, Cambridgeshire County Council Lib Dem leader said: "Hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money are wasted every year and at the same time, the Tory administration is cutting back on services for the most vulnerable in our

community. This cannot be allowed to go on.

"Our alternative budget makes the council's resources work harder to deliver more for the people of Cambridge. The council has chosen to squeeze Adult Social Care; if it applied the same principles across the board the savings would be immense."

Lib Dems claim £45,000 alone could be saved by changing the layout of council documents; a further £30,000 could be clawed back by switching off lights and equipment not in use; a freeze on all suppliers' prices would save £1.5 million and a further £750,000 could be saved on unnecessary travel. The council's press and PR team could save £600,000 on glossy brochures and the like.

The money saved could be channelled into support for young people acting as carers and there would be £400,000 for community groups. A further £2 million would go towards mitigating the worst effects of Tory cuts in Adult Care.

The Lib Dems would also give £175,000 to fund the development of a project using a new transport link along the route of the Bramley Line in Fenland to allow the creation of a mixed eco village/business park funded by regional, national and European investment.

Their alternative budget will go before Cambridgeshire County Council's Scrutiny Committee on Friday when its members will delve into every detail and hold them to account.

Cllr Jenkins said: "This is unique to Cambridge and we are the only group nationally to do this. It is a credit to the Cambridgeshire system."

He added that the county council's borrowings have increased significantly, not least to fund the guided bus, and Cambridgeshire's priority services could suffer in the future unless remedial action is taken now.

"The Tories' policy of borrowing is all well and good when the interest rates are low, but once they start to rise the pressure on the revenue account will be significant," he warned.