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East Devon District Council Budget 2010 Survey Summary

We asked residents what they thought about the proposed changes to East Devon District Council’s budget in 2010/ 2011.

A questionnaire detailing the possible budgetary changes was designed in the Council’s online survey software and placed on the Council’s website. A press release was sent out to advertise the presence of the questionnaire which was used by several of the local papers.

153 East Devon residents completed the questionnaire.

A list of 14 options were given to respondents and they were asked to select the three options that they most agreed with, and the three options they most disagreed with.

The respondents agreed most with:

• Stopping supplying 3D flower displays, flower beds and plant containers (56%)
• Increasing the standard car parking charge by 10p per hour, with an improved season ticket offer for East Devon residents (49%). However, 31% of respodents disagreed with this.

There was also some agreement for:

• Stopping planting flowers at the entrances to towns (40%)
• Grass over roadside flower beds and return land to owner for them to look after (33%)

The proposals respondents most disagreed with were:

• Reduced street cleaning in the Summer months (45%)
• Stopping the grant to the Citizens Advice Bureau (43%)

The results were presented to Elected Members at a Service Planning and Budget Task and Finish Forum on 18 January 2010 for their consideration. We will keep you updated on the progress of their budgetary decisions.

A table of detailed results is set out below:

Do you have any other comments:

98 respondents made other comments, which are summarised below.

Make some staff redundant (particularly administrative staff) X 23 comments including:

• ‘Reduce the administration staff by at least 33%.’
• ‘Reducing the headcount by some 50 people will no doubt save over £1m.’
• ‘Weeding out non productive jobs will provide savings and demonstrate to your council tax payers that you mean business.’
• ‘Given that the average local government employee has an all up cost to the Council of around £40,000 per annum you have the option to do what industry would do in similar circumstances and reduce staff levels by 37 people.’

The questionnaire is too restricted (would have liked to comment on all services/ given more than three responses) X 13 comments including:

• ‘This only gives residents a very controlled and limited say.’
• ‘It is difficult to choose three in each case.’
• ‘This is a limited range of options.’
• ‘Looking at suggested savings above is not the way to save money. You need to begin by looking at the major expenses involved in running the District Council.’

Do not reduce Streetscene services as these are important for tourism X 12 comments including:

• ‘With Tourism being a major economic contributor it seems wrong to cut those things which make the town attractive to people.’
• ‘It is important to keep the town looking good - i.e. clean and well tended, including some flower displays etc to maintain tourist numbers.’
• ‘As a tourism area then maintaining the welcome and pleasing appearance of the District is important if we are to continue to attract tourists and provide vital stimulus to the local economy.’
• ‘Streetscene should not be cut back as is a vital service in East Devon as we are reliant on tourists and visitors, and it also makes for a pleasant environment for the residents.’

Wage cuts for staff X 11 comments including:

• ‘The consideration of pay reductions or, at least, freezing seems to be a conspicuous oversight in an "imaginative" approach.’
• ‘The salaries of all Council staff should be reduced by 5% as per the national average of non council workers.’
• ‘Reduce £30,000 + salaries within the council by 5% for a year.’

Get rid of some Managers/ reduce Managers pay X 11 comments including:

• ‘I believe there are at least four layers of management over Officers and others doing the job.  If one or two of those layers were disbanded, there would be more than enough money.’
• ‘Start by looking inwardly at the big areas of salary cost among the senior management and then work downwards.’
• ‘Cut numbers (hence salary bill) of top level managers, perhaps by sharing with other nearby local authorities.’

Do not reduce any frontline services X 10 comments including:

• ‘I would rather pay my council tax bill to pay for street cleaners than give a pen pusher a nice warm office to sit in.’
• ‘Start the cuts with.....  the back of house IT budget, rather than front-line services.’

Reduce the number of Councillors/ Councillors allowances X 8 comments including:

• ‘If savings are to be made then Council staff and Councillors should be involved, e.g. the number of councillors should be reduced.’
• ‘The next saving would be to abolish councillors' allowances.’

Cut staff pensions X 6 comments including:

• ‘Your staff salary and pension costs are no doubt the greatest budget item and should be cut accordingly.’
• ‘Bring all pensions into line with industry.’

Car parking is too expensive already/ reduce car parking charges X 6 comments including:

• ‘Car parking for locals is TOO HIGH....I have to pay 50p to pickup my prescription from the Surgery.’
• ‘Car park charges are already counter-productively high with negative impacts on traffic flow and local economic activity.’

Too much money has been wasted fighting Local Government Review X 6 comments including:

• ‘Stop wasting council taxpayer’s money on your legal fees re Unitary Devon.’
• ‘One area not on the list is the amount of money spent in previous years on the campaigning against the Local Government Review.’

Employ less consultants/ outsource services less X 5 comments including:

• ‘Reduce the use of consultants.’

Find more efficient ways of working X 5 comments including:

• ‘You have only given options which directly hit front line services. Nothing is said about more efficient ways of working.’

Charge staff for car parking at the Knowle X 5 comments including:

• ‘Start charging for Officers to park at Knowle/use it as a park and ride as with many other Councils in the Country.’

Many other comments were also received. Comments that were made by two or more people are listed below along with the number of respondents that gave the same comment:

• Only deliver statutory services, get rid of all others X 4
• Raise the Council Tax so these services do not have to be cut X 4
• Stop producing East Devon Talk X 3
• Be more energy efficient X 3
• Do not raise the Council Tax X 3
• Increase costs for long stay car parking more than short stay X 3
• Reduce spending on advertising and communications X 3
• When staff leave, don’t replace them X 3
• Thank you for this opportunity to express my views X 3
• Don’t make residents pay for attracting tourists X 2
• You should make the decisions, don’t ask me X 2
• Outsource more services X 2
• Stop the fairy lights in Exmouth X 2
• Reduce staff sickness X 2
• Work more closely with other local authorities X 2
• Sell the Knowle and move to cheaper accomodation X 2
• Could landowners/ volunteers and local garden centre owners take over some planting  X 2
• What is the out of hours noise complaints service? X 2
• Have more commercial hiring out of the Knowle X 2
• Have permanent low maintenance shrubs and bulbs in flower beds X 2
• Share more Directors and the Chief Executive with other local authorities X 2