December 2010/January 2011 For information about all Council services see www.blackburn.gov.uk SEE PAGE SEE TOUGH TIMES: OUT PAGE BIGGEST 2 WITH 6 CONSULTATION THE EVER GRITTERS A HERO’S WELCOME HOME Thousands cheer returning troops by Faye Adams variety of communities were among those waving flags and About 10,000 people lined cheering on the parade that was the streets of Blackburn town led by mounted police from the centre to welcome home the Lancashire Constabulary and the 1st Battalion of the Duke of regimental band. Lancaster Regiment. Around 200 children from The soldiers were greeted schools from around the borough with cheers, applause and flag also attended. Lance Corporal waving at their homecoming Alex Winterburn, from Blackburn, parade following a six month tour said: “I thought there would be of Afghanistan. a lot of people but nothing pre- Despite the bad weather, pared me for this. crowds began to gather from mid- “I felt quite humbled.” day although the soldiers’ arrival The parade was preceded by was delayed for over an hour due a special service held to hon- to the snow. our the soldiers at Blackburn People of all ages from a Cathedral. Printed by Capita Design and Print (01254) 273851 2 December 2010/January 2011 BIGGEST CONSULTATION EVER Your views needed on cuts We are The Government has said that We’re not asking you to make site, www.blackburn.gov.uk, which public spending is to be cut. the actual decisions – that’s the job shows the consequences of vari- building up In Blackburn with Darwen this of your councillors – but they have ous cuts to services. means that we could lose a third of made it clear that they want to know You can also send us your a picture our Government funding or £48mil- your views, ideas and priorities as thoughts and ideas below. This is a regular series where we lion*. At the moment, we spend they make their decisions. The Council provides around of what the put the record straight. The Council around that on adult social care A picture of what the community 800 different services (see www. is rightly criticised when we get alone as our pie chart shows. thinks is being built from detailed blackburn.gov.uk), these are just community things wrong. But we often find So, your Council is facing some research. Tough Times, Tough a few: that citizens are given incorrect very tough decisions. Choices public meetings are also - Housing, neighbourhoods and thinks to or misleading information. This We need to find ways to provide being held and the Council is unveil- customer service e.g. energy help us column gives you the facts so that the services you need at much less ing an on-line budget consultation advice, neighbourhoods teams, you can form your own judgements. cost. tool called YouChoose on our web- homelessness help and bdirect contact centre and one stop make better Graham Burgess shops Chief executive decisions. What does the Council spend its money on? - Regeneration and environment Fiction e.g. advice to businesses, plan- Councillor Neighbourhoods and ning, road maintenance and bin Kate Hollern, Customer Services, £7M 5% Council We don’t need to worry about the effects Regeneration, collections of the spending review yet because it is - Adult social services e.g. care Leader Housing £18M 12% spread over four years and it appears the £1M 1% for older people and disabled cuts will be spread evenly across Councils. Resources, adults Environment & £21M 15% - Children’s Services e.g. schools Fact Sustainability, and child protection £13M 9% After Chancellor George Osborne’s - Culture, Leisure and Sport e.g. announcement a lot of work has gone Leisure & Children’s leisure centres, libraries and in to looking at the effects of the Culture, Services, museums £8M 6% Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). £33M 23% - Human resources, legal and At present, and we have not yet got the Adult Social Care, £42M 29% financial e.g. administrative sup- final settlement figure, it appears we may port to run the council be hit by £48m over the next four years. It also appears the cuts will be front loaded. Things could change but early analy- sis seems to suggest that the review may hit more deprived areas in the north of England much harder. We hope this is not Government proven to be the case and we won’t know funding the Council for certain until a formal announcement * The settlement has still not been is expected to lose is made. But we and other similar local made public, at the time of going to press. It is expected in December £48m authorities need to point out our fears. A report, published in the local govern- ment trade press, has analysed the CSR 1) What would you say are the three council services you benefit and predicted what the worst-hit Councils from most? will be and the local authorities that will fare Your thoughts... the best. It suggests that the authorities ................................................. predicted to be hit hardest are, all except two, in the 20% most deprived councils in ................................................. England according to the 2007 Indices of To help us better understand the different views and ................................................. Multiple Deprivation. I am afraid we are pre- opinions of residents, please tell us a bit about yourself: dicted to be among those hit hardest. 2) What would you say are three council services that you feel In contrast, the 10 upper-tier and must be protected? Are you Male ........ Female.............. 10 lower-tier councils predicted to fare the best in the spending review are, with ................................................. the exception of two, all in the top 10% Which of these groups do you feel that you belong to? wealthiest councils, including Hart District ................................................. Council and Wokingham Borough Council, White............... Indian............... the two least deprived authorities in ................................................. England. Pakistani ............ Bangladeshi .......... The reasons the report has indicated 3) What would you say are three council services that you feel this is because grant funding is likely to should see cuts? Black............... Other ethnic group ..... be hit hard. Again, we won’t know until later this month whether this will be miti- ................................................. gated for elsewhere but if this is the case, How old are you? more deprived areas are more vulnerable ................................................. Under 16 ............ 16 to 24............. as they have a greater dependence on ................................................. grants. Losing the grants without anything in place would mean we would have to 4) What are the three council services you have used most in the 25 to 34 ............ 35 to 44............. make quicker reductions. last six months? It has also been indicated, but not 45 to 64 ............ 65 to 74............. confirmed, that there will be a top-slicing ................................................. of the formula grant to provide funding 75 and over . for the council tax freeze. This could, in ................................................. itself, move resources away from areas that take less in Council tax to richer areas ................................................. What is your postcode? .......................... which can generate more income for their authorities. One thing that is certain is that the Please complete the questionnaire and return Freepost to: next four years are going to be really dif- Tough Times, Tough Choices: Freepost RRHYZKBRBSLA, The Shuttle, Blackburn with Darwen Council, King William Street, Blackburn, BB1 7DY ficult. This Council will keep you up to date with all developments. Please don’t forget to recycle the Shuttle For information about all Council services see www.blackburn.gov.uk The Shuttle 3 NEWS PICTURE SPECIAL BOROUGH PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS “This is a truly special day for us” says Lieutenant Colonel INSPECTION Various scenes from A hero’s welcome awaited the sol- Teams praised a truly special day diers of the 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment on their home- Ofsted has praised the Council’s child coming parade. protection teams following an unannounced Thousands of people had braved the inspection. The inspection looked at cold to line the streets of Blackburn and the contact, referral and assessment thank the soldiers for their bravery. arrangements in Blackburn with Darwen The troops received a standing ova- and their impact on tackling child abuse tion as they entered Blackburn Cathedral or neglect. Inspectors praised the way for the service of remembrance and cel- teams worked with other agencies. It ebration, which began what was to be a noted staff from other organisations were very special day. both Manchester and Warrington, but it very confident in department’s response to The 120 soldiers have recently was Blackburn that boasted the biggest referrals. returned from Afghanistan where they crowd. They did make a number of recommen- had led Operation Tor Shezada, a major A civic reception at King George’s Hall dations for improvement and noted that surge against the Taliban. was also organised at which the troops some social workers’ caseloads were too They had successfully seized a Taliban- were given a traditional Lancashire lunch. high. However, the Council is looking at controlled town in central Helmand in a Speaking at the reception Darwen- these and is working to reduce the amount move to restore government rule. born commanding officer Lieutenant of cases that each social worker deals with. Three soldiers had been killed during Colonel Frazer Lawrence paid tribute to Executive Member for Children’s the operation and a number wounded. the courage and bravery of his soldiers. Services, Councillor Maureen Bateson, During the service, those who had lost H e also thanked the people of said: “Our staff have an extremely difficult their lives fighting for queen and country Blackburn for their support dur- job to do and it is because of their com- were remembered.