Wednesday 23 June 2010

What the Chancellor said was very much in line with what we and the Institute of Fiscal Studies have been saying.  We are expecting cuts of up to 25% in non-protected areas. We will have to deliver good quality services with considerably less money.  

We note the two year pay freeze for public sector workers earning more than £21,000 and the freeze on Council Tax and we await more detail on this.

So it's a huge challenge, but also an opportunity to do things differently. I am confident that we can build on our track record of innovation to find new and more cost effective ways to deliver services.

Currently a significant amount of our expenditure is forced on us by national government – i.e. we are told we must spend the money on specific services.  The new coalition government has promised us significant freedoms in how we chose to spend taxpayers' money in delivering the services our residents need.  We welcome this greater freedom.  There may be less money but we will be freed to spend what we do have in the most fitting, effective and appropriate way.

So the changed landscape will give us the opportunity to re-consider how public money is spent and determine Kent County Council’s real priorities, not those imposed on us by national government.  I believe that broadly our priorities will continue to be to protect the vulnerable; to maintain excellent standards in our schools and to create an environment in Kent where business can thrive - in short we will stand up for Kent. 

We must also build on the momentum of our already strong partnerships across the entire public sector in Kent.  With an annual public sector revenue spend in Kent of £8.5 billion we must make sure that every penny of public funds is spent wisely and that duplication is eradicated.