Town councillors in Nantwich have delayed a decision on whether they should pay 7.5% towards the running of the town’s leisure centre.
Cash-strapped Cheshire East Council, who run leisure services, are asking town councils to make contributions to ease the financial pressure it is facing in 2024-25.
In Nantwich, CEC has asked the town council to consider a 7.5% contribution, based on the last three years running costs.
This would amount to a top-up from the town council £27,7680 – which is 7.5% of the average annual running cost for the leisure centre of just over £370,000.
However, at last night’s Nantwich Town Council meeting, councillors opted to defer a decision on such funding contributions.
They have called on Cheshire East Council provide details of the Leisure Consultation outcome, due in March.
Cheshire East Council said top up funding would help “safeguard the facility”.
We contacted CEC and asked them without town council contributions, would this lead to a reduction in the services offered by Nantwich Leisure Centre in 2024-25.
In reply, Cllr Mick Warren, chair of Cheshire East Council’s environment and communities committee, said: “Local council finances have been under increasing pressure for several years and we must therefore do things differently for less.
“We are experiencing ‘a perfect storm’ of soaring costs, significantly reduced funding from national government, uncertainty about national decisions and policy, rising demand for council services, and increasing costs and complexity of needs for those children and older people who most need the council’s help.
“To manage these budget pressures, the council has been increasing income and reducing spending across all services in recent years.
“This includes delivering the first stage of a leisure services review, which was based around the need to generate £1.29m of essential savings in 2023/24.
“Despite the actions already taken to manage the council’s budget pressures, the significant financial challenges remain and earlier this week, the council launched a consultation which includes a further 29 proposals to balance the council’s budget for 2024/25.
“This includes the second stage of the leisure services review, which was recently subject to public consultation.
“This stage of the review proposes potential ways in which funding for leisure services can be targeted in future to deliver the greatest impacts on residents’ health and wellbeing – while also ensuring that essential savings can be made.
“In order to meet the savings target for 2024/25 of £1.3m, one aspect of the review includes partnership working with town councils to secure ‘top-up’ funding based on a minimum three-year agreement.
“This would support safeguarding leisure provisions in their local area against measures which may be put forward following the outcome of the public consultation on the leisure review, the ongoing budget consultation, and the need to ensure essential savings are made.”
I suggested a single unitary council for Cheshire in my online response to the CEC “how to save money” consultation. They said they would consider everything …..
If my memory is right there was a joint computer scheme between CEC & Cheshire West and Chester that did not perform. I think it went millions over budget but perhaps CEC will make a statement to show I am wrong.
Dear Mr Moorhouse.
It makes simple common sense to reduce the number of Councillors to 60. If this save £500,000 it would be good thing especially over time.
Why comment sense cannot prevail is beyond me. There appears to be a huge duplication of work.
Can I suggest One Unitary Council for Cheshire. Shropshire can do it , why can’t Cheshire do it.
They never look at reducing the cost of democracy. For example reduce the number of Councillors from 82 to 60 will save some £500k with all the add ons allowances, iPads, mobile phones etc
Yet again we have further evidence of incompetence from Cheshire East Council. The mobile phones being one. What else is being hidden from the Community and the people who pay their Council Tax.
Boundary changes have resulted in a wider catchment area for Nantwich Town Council and increased revenues. We as residents will be paying for increased opening times in respect of Nantwich Library. Where is the evidence for the business case.
Please we need an independent investigation into the management of Cheshire East Council.
How much money has been spent on Statutory Duties and how much on vanity projects ?
I have recently ordered a new garden bin. It is cracked due to age and the effects of sun light. The bin should have been delivered within 20 working days. That time scale has now passed. I am told they are behind with their deliveries.
Technically they are in breach of contract. They have had my money.
They seem to be incapable of getting right even the most simple of services.
Just how many millions of pounds has been squandered of tax payers money.
Management is about being effective, meeting customer expectations and doing it within a budget.
Inflation is down to 3.90%.
My council tax has risen by 350% since 1994. My income has not. Council Tax is a heavy burden to many people . We have already paid the tax on income. So when you add back the effective level of taxation it is very high proportion of many households income.
Like the post office no one is held accountable for incompetence or the unnecessary waste of tax payers money.
Passing some of the cost onto the Town Council is simply ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’. Nantwich Town Council does not have money of its own they raise it through the precept arrangement they have with Cheshire East. As far as the Council Tax payers are concerned it is the same amount of money being paid out of their pocket. It is not even a different bill, it is all part of the same bill! If Cheshire East want to save money they need to look nearer to home!
Firstly I agree with Mr T E, they should definitely be more proactive. I run a very small business, when times get difficult, I do not receive any free money, neither should they.
Secondly, getting really tired of hearing about the so called “cash strapped CEC”, one of the many reasons they might not have enough money, is probably because the CEC boss gets paid more money than they know what to do with, more infact than doctors, surgeons, and even the PM, £1200.00 a day.
reduce the hours to only times when busy
streamline the timetable its too confusing
better trained staff, as they are usually either disinterested or officious
open up to corporate events and parties
run more clubs for different ages
improve the catering to all comers
In other words start being proactive in raising the bar and not asking for handouts all the time