Leader's column: The Budget Conversation

In her latest column, Tameside Council leader Cllr Brenda Warrington encourages residents to have their say on the borough's spending priorities for the next financial year.

Over the past few weeks I have said that when this terrible pandemic is finally put behind us, we cannot go back to the way things were before. 

The simple fact is that, for too many people in Tameside, Greater Manchester and Britain as a whole, hardship and struggle did not begin with coronavirus. They need and deserve more than going back to normal.

However, this ambition will not become a reality unless it is built on the foundations of a sustainable approach to our finances. 

Every year the Tameside Council and Tameside and Glossop Clinical Commissioning Group spend over £974 million on the key services that our residents depend on. These range from £51 million on collecting bins and maintaining roads, to £40 million for mental health support and £87 million for adult social care.

It is unfortunately no exaggeration to say that the current financial challenges are the most serious we have ever faced. 

We are still dealing with the consequences of over a decade of austerity, and on top of this the coronavirus pandemic has hit many of our sources of income (fees, charges etc) while simultaneously increasing the demand for our services. 

This has almost doubled the amount of savings we expect to have to make next year to over £60 million.

This means that it is more important than ever that we ask what matters to you when it comes to our services and finances, which is why we’ve launched our Budget Conversation. 

Anybody who lives, works or has some other interest in Tameside and Glossop is encouraged to join the conversation on our website and have their say on what you think our spending priorities should be for the next financial year, and if you have any ideas or suggestions for how we might deliver services better, save money or raise revenue.

The Budget Conversation will run until January 6, 2021, after which all replies will be carefully analysed and used to inform our final decisions on next year’s Budget, which is due to be debated by Full Council in February. 

I cannot emphasise enough that there is no such thing as a stupid answer.

The more people who take part means the better the information we will have at our disposal to start building back better in Tameside and Glossop.

So whatever matters to you, make sure that you have your say.