Andrew Judge – Working Hard For You

The free garden waste service was introduced only a few years ago under the last Labour administration and proved popular with those residents that used it. Unfortunately, because of the huge cuts in Government grant funding for Merton, this year and next, we have been forced to remove the free service, in order to save £225,000 to help fill our budget gap.

We want to encourage recycling and believe that composting in the garden itself is the best way to achieve that, so we will continue to provide subsidised compost bins to residents. However, we also recognise that some garden waste cannot easily be composted and that, for whatever reason, it is not always possible or the choice of residents to compost in their own garden.

That is why since the budget discussions, we have been developing a proposal for a new garden waste service, which is now being considered by Councillors. We want to introduce a new fortnightly garden waste service, which could begin as soon as June or July . The paid for service would cost £65 per year and £50 for concessionary users. Residents would be given a choice of placing garden waste in either a wheeled bin, or supplied sacks for collection. We would be delighted to be able to offer this service whilst ensuring the Council remains within budget.

As the local Cabinet Member for Environmental Sustainability and Regeneration, I have been working on a number of issues that will have a significant impact on Wimbledon residents.The biggest issue has been the Council Budget.

This has been a very difficult year. As we all know the Government is insistent on removing the deficit over the course of this Parliament instead of what I believe to be the more sensible course of cutting it by half. The impact will be to suck demand from the economy leading to stagnation and unemployment. The nearest parallel is the 1930s, when Britain was governed by a similar coalition of Conservatives and Liberals along with a sprinkling of ex Labour ministers. Policy then was equally short-sighted and industrial production did not recover fully until WWII.

Cuts in Government Grant Funding
What Merton Council faces now are front-loaded Government cuts of an unprecedented severity. Central Government has cut grant funding to Merton Council by substantial amounts: £10.219m for this year and £6.656m for next year. This has meant that with inflation and inevitable growth, the Council has had a huge gap to fill amounting to £23.6m this year and £70.5m over 4 years. The impact on public services will be significant. One measure is the number of redundancies, this year Merton Council is cutting 222 staff. 80 of those redundancies are in the core corporate, policy and administrative staff of the Council. Conservative politicians sometimes describe such people in dismissive terms as bureaucrats or backroom staff, as though they are surplus to requirements. In fact they make an important contribution to the strength of services that are delivered and enable the Council to have the flexibility to deliver new and better services in the future. Merton has not stinted in making such staff redundant, but it is not without detriment, in terms of what can be delivered in the future.

Our Budget Principles
In making decisions about cuts we have stuck to some basic principles. One is to protect some basic services like street cleaning to ensure that everyone’s right to a clean and decent environment is protected. Significant improvements have been made in street cleaning over the last year and residents’ satisfaction has increased. In one respect, the Council is now making better use of machinery, but it is also focussing resources on those streets and places where dirt and litter arises, rather than maintaining inflexible cleaning regimes. As a Labour administration, we are determined to maintain the improved performance in street cleaning.

Protecting The Vulnerable
Another principle that we have adopted is to ensure that we protect the vulnerable. This can be demonstrated by the differing percentage cuts across different departments. The central corporate services have taken a 11.17% cut in funding, environmental services an 11.8% cut whereas the department that supports adult social care has taken a 7.2% cut and children’s services a 5.2% cut. The voluntary sector in social care has also been protected by the very helpful Compact arrangements, where voluntary sector representatives themselves make recommendations on funding issues. The Compact, which was established when I led the Council before April 2006, has more than fulfilled my hopes for the quality of its work.

As a local party we are often seen out on doorsteps all year round talking to residents about how we can help them improve their local area. But there are also other ways you can keep in touch with us or see our latest news:

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