Community groups in firing line for cutbacks

Community groups in firing line for cutbacks

4 February 2015

COMMUNITY groups across the district could be the major losers in a budget trimming exercise by the new Newry, Mourne and Down Council. 

The new super council is considering reducing its spending on community organisations to help generate thousands of pounds in savings to deliver a rates increase of no more than four per cent.

Politicians have been asked to consider reducing the grants paid to community groups by as much as 15 per cent as they battle to reduce spending by pruning budgets.

Hard-pressed council officials are also controversially suggesting that Newcastle’s iconic Rock Pool — the only outdoor sea pool of its kind in Ireland — could close to generate a saving in the region of £45,000. 

Other savings suggestions floated during a meeting of the draft super council’s finance committee in Newry last week include not immediately replacing staff who leave the council. Reducing overtime costs has also been identified as a means of reducing draft rates estimates.

Politicians are due to meet again next Tuesday to agree on the level of cuts they will make before the new district rate is struck two days later.

A proposal that Newcastle’s Festival of Flight could be postponed for a year and that work on the new £12m Down Leisure Centre could be put back by nine months are still be considered. Discussions are also continuing on whether the council should spend £500,000 buying the former St. Mary’s Girls Primary School in Newcastle as the site for a future leisure centre.

To date, council officials have identified savings in the region of almost £1.2m, but politicians have been told more cuts are required if a rates increase of four per cent is to be achieved.

With another week of more budget pruning and intensive behind-the-scenes negotiations ahead, council staff have been tasked with identifying additional savings and preparing a detailed report for Tuesday.

One politician told the Recorder while a number of suggestions aimed at generating savings are in the melting pot, no final decisions have yet been made and no major capital schemes appear under threat.

“Officers are looking at where more savings could be made and we recognise what a difficult job this is. All will become clear next Tuesday evening when the Shadow Council’s Finance Committee meets to make a rate increase recommendation to the full council. 

“All the parties recognised striking a rate in the current economic climate would be no easy task and this is proving to be the case,” the politician explained. “We need to deliver a rate that will be accepted by ratepayers and not add to the financial burden many of them are facing by insisting our pet projects go ahead.”

A spokeswoman for Newry, Mourne and Down Council said the organisation was not in a position to comment on speculation where budgetary savings would be made as no decisions had yet been taken.