Somerset CAB to be cut £500,000?

fatbelly

I just heard a very clear proposal from Somerset Council on ITV news but can find nothing online, even on the ITV site - that Somerset CAB is to be cut £500,000.

Anyone got more info on this? That's a huge cut, more than Cornwall faced earlier this year when they were being cut to zero! And it's a similar size county.

January2015

fatbelly wrote: »

I just heard a very clear proposal from Somerset Council on ITV news but can find nothing online, even on the ITV site - that Somerset CAB is to be cut £500,000.

Anyone got more info on this? That's a huge cut, more than Cornwall faced earlier this year when they were being cut to zero! And it's a similar size county.

Only thing I can find is this on Somerset Live which mentions potential cuts to Citizens Advice but not the amount. This article states a decision will be made on 12 September 2018. I'm just off to the council site to look at the documents for the meeting on 12th Sept.... will come back if I find anything :beer:

January2015

Documents are listed one week prior to a meeting - according to the Somerset.gov.uk website. So for a meeting on the 12th, they will put the documents up on 5th. If you want to keep an eye on the link for any info being put up on their site about this, the link is here

You need to look under Cabinet meetings for 12/09/18.

Cuts to local government support for third sector services have been devastating, but this one sounds as if the council is desperate and just slashing costs and not making reasoned decisions.

January2015

Apologies if it looks like I am trolling your thread... but just a thought - it is really unusual for councils to announce budgets cuts like this mid-year. Most of them start planning now for the new financial year in April, but don't start liaising with the poor blighters who are going to get cuts until after Christmas.

unforeseen

Somerset are looking to cut £14M from their budget. Everybody is going to get cuts

D_M_E

Cuts everywhere

http://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/16596807.somersets-public-services-will-suffer-from-cuts-says-libdems/

But you would think they would have extra money

http://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/16604818.changes-to-somerset-councils-paying-money-to-central-government/

fatbelly

It's on the BBC site now

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-45402806

Complete removal of funding for Citizens Advice bureau services

poppy10_2

fatbelly wrote: »

Complete removal of funding for Citizens Advice bureau services

Reduction, not a complete removal of funding

Hard to have any sympathy to be honest - how can you vote in a tory council and then complain about cuts

fatbelly

fatbelly wrote: »

removal of funding for Citizens Advice bureau services

that's literally what the BBC article says.

How much funding are the council proposing to retain, poppy?

I understand they currently fund 4 x CABs in that county

poppy10_2

fatbelly wrote: »

that's literally what the BBC article says.

How much funding are the council proposing to retain, poppy?

I understand they currently fund 4 x CABs in that county

You said "complete removal of funding"
That's not what the BBC article says. They don't use the word complete.

You can find the proposals in full here
http://democracy.somerset.gov.uk/documents/s7980/Appendix%20C2a.02.pdf

Most of the funding removed but still £120k for CAB to administer the council's Local Assistance Scheme (crisis loans etc) as well as £125k from the council's public health budget

fatbelly

Interesting.

Their own document admits:

Risks include:
• Reduced capacity of Citizen’s Advice, including potential closure owing to financial unsustainability. This could lead to:
o Unmet demand
o Increased hardship
o Greater levels of demand for public / community / voluntary services including statutory provision

Lovely