Another nail in the coffin to m'bro town centre shopping

r00fie1 said:
It looks like T-side is a long way behind as usual.
Transport infrastructure is appalling.
Local buses owned by Stagecoach and Arriva are disgusting - many old and unsuitable for modern needs. Dirty. Worn out. Cramped. Infrequent. Cherry-picked - services. Bluddy awful services after peak times. The railway "stations" on T-side are an embarrasment, as is the railway infrastructure. Services (?) to Stockton, Billingham, Hartlepool and beyond are slow and infrequent. Its been going on for so long - people deserve better. But when its all privately owned, no one can tell any of them that you want cheap reliable clean efficient public transport, meeting social need not profits. Unless public money is used to subsidise their poor services they arent interested.
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It would be much simpler to implement a tram or metro type service with one local council / county you would think? We'd need a few bridges / tunnels to cross the river too to make it a goer as a Teesside service.
 
Caesium137 said:
It would be much simpler to implement a tram or metro type service with one local council / county you would think? We'd need a few bridges / tunnels to cross the river too to make it a goer as a Teesside service.
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Yeah, just build a few bridges and tunnels 🤣
Have you any idea how much that would cost ? Get in the real world 🌎
Thanks 👍
 
When you're getting less money from Central Govt in real terms year after year - as has been the case since at least 2015 - you have to either cut services or increase revenue just to balance the books. So if you oppose car parking charges where does the equivalent revenue or cut in service to pay for it come from?
 
Caesium137 said:
It would be much simpler to implement a tram or metro type service with one local council / county you would think? We'd need a few bridges / tunnels to cross the river too to make it a goer as a Teesside service.
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The tram network would have to integrate with a majority of the areas railway stations and main shopping centres / industrial estates. There`s scope for two lines to include East Middlesbrough through the main housing estates and shopping areas connecting to Central Middlesbrough, Portrack and Stockton. The other could connect Ingleby, Thornaby, Stockton, North Tees, Billingham and through Brierton and West Hartlepool to the Dock area. Big project.
 
Within those budget proposals is an almost £800k cut to respite services for disabled children. Provision of respite/short breaks is a statutory responsibility. This is some dodgy ground the council are treading with that proposal.
 
kuepper said:
When you're getting less money from Central Govt in real terms year after year - as has been the case since at least 2015 - you have to either cut services or increase revenue just to balance the books. So if you oppose car parking charges where does the equivalent revenue or cut in service to pay for it come from?
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Car park charges wont save cuts in child protection services. Councils are so starved of funding - in many cases physical assets have been sold to fund services - and Central Government deliberately pressures local councils to broker their cuts. When push comes to shove, its the car owner missing the big picture and being selfish. If we want to reduce spending on highways, electricity for traffic-lights, crossings and street lights, repairs and maintenance, replacing damaged barriers and street "furniture" caused by negligent drivers and replacing damaged verges and pedestrian pavements on which cars are parked - vehicle owners should be charged what they cost the public purse. Catch the bus!
 
sherlock1969 said:
Within those budget proposals is an almost £800k cut to respite services for disabled children. Provision of respite/short breaks is a statutory responsibility. This is some dodgy ground the council are treading with that proposal.
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They are not the only council left with no money to fulfil their legal obligations. Its not the Councils, its deliberate policy of Central Government. It means local "democracy" has been transfered to Westminster and people who live across the country are paying the price.
 
I have seen the proposed cuts for Middlesbrough… they are disgusting and I have fed back my thoughts via the channels provided.

Every single cut was a front line service to either child services or vulnerable adults… I did not see one suggestion of any cuts to management or less critical services

The person that came up with these cuts should be ashamed of themselves… the person that seconded it needs shooting
 
r00fie1 said:
They are not the only council left with no money to fulfil their legal obligations. Its not the Councils, its deliberate policy of Central Government. It means local "democracy" has been transfered to Westminster and people who live across the country are paying the price.
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It’ll cost them a lot more when savvy parents take them to judicial review.
 
sherlock1969 said:
It’ll cost them a lot more when savvy parents take them to judicial review.
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Very good.
But if you dont have the money. You dont have the money!
Threats and judicial reviews cost money, but they dont put money in the bank to fund childrens services.
Unfortunate fact of life.
 
www.gazettelive.co.uk

Full list of Middlesbrough Council proposed savings - how it will affect you

The authority must make major savings to plug a £15m hole - here are the proposed cuts
www.gazettelive.co.uk www.gazettelive.co.uk

* For "Savings" read "CUTS"

Savings [CUTS] to frontline services - consultation required​


These proposals will form part of the 2023/24 revenue budget, and will be subject to the impact assessment process and consultation. Savings figure is for total saving over next two financial years.


Adult Social Care - Increase in assessed client contributions to packages of care - 2.5% for clients receiving care in the community and 3.35% for client care in residential homes - £251,000

Redesigning part of Gleneagles Residential Home to provide long-term residential care for children - £668,000

Stop providing dedicated Family Group Conferencing and incorporate into social work teams - £195,000

End Safe Families contract - £75,000

Reduction in Council funding for Youth Services. Support is currently being provided to youth work organisations to access funding from central Government - £100,000

Do not implement Council decision to extend Youth Services in areas of high anti-social behaviour - £150,000

Cease the Young Carers contract to support children and young people with caring responsibilities - £37,000

End provision of services delivered by Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) Team - £215,000

Reduce direct provision of and financial support to families to provide non-residential short breaks for children and young people with disabilities - £736,000

Do not implement Council decision to pilot Locality Officer in Hemlington - £40,000

School Catering - increase in primary school meal prices from £2.15 to £2.40 and secondary school meal prices from £2.25to £2.50 in line with inflation - £181,000

Increase rent charges by 10% at Metz Bridge Travellers Site in line with inflation - £10,000

Street Lighting - approx. 1 in 2 lights will be turned off between midnight and 6am in less used spaces and intermittently in other appropriate spaces where safe to do so (will not affect road junctions and major roads) - £148,000

Do not implement Council decision to provide Pest Control Services - £90,000

Do not implement Council decision to provide additional Tree Maintenance service - £150,000

Reduce Council expenditure on Neighbourhood Safety and seek to maximise grant funding - £1m

Reduce opening hours of hubs in line with demand, and introduce self-serve at Rainbow and Neptune libraries and reduce opening hours of other libraries in line with demand. Also delete vacant posts and reduce expenditure on supplies and services in Libraries and Hubs - £270,000

Scale back approved additional capital investment of £15m in Highways Repairs and Maintenance to £7.5m producing capital financing cost savings - £162,000

Reduce Council subsidy for nurseries so that our nurseries are economically viable, which could mean the potential closure of Bright Stars Nursery due to falling demand and other provision in the area - £21,000

Develop Children's Centres into Family Hubs - £307,000

Cease Welfare Rights Service - £174,000

Captain Cook Car Park - introduction of £1 charge as replacement of 3 hours free parking at Captain Cook after fall off of Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) grant - £200,000

Culture - Use external funding to deliver events such as the Orange Pip Market - £148,000

New model for parks management - £44,000

Move to digital only production of Love Middlesbrough magazine - £7,000
 
Councils have been starved by government of cash for years. They say they have given councils loads of cash but it’s like having a problem with your car that will cost £100 to fix. The government take the media headlines by saying that they are giving the record amount of £40 leaving the council high and dry having to find £60.
Not enough funding for police, hospitals, GP’s, transport (unless you are rail operator!), councils, immigration controls, fire service, social services, sport……etc etc
 
Alexander Supertramp said:
Sounds overly negative to me, due to him wearing a blue tie rather than a red one?

Why not celebrate new businesses and entertainment venues in the area?

I think it was a bold move by M’bro to acquire both captain cooks square and hill street… it enabled them to move remaining retail to Hill St and facilitated the plan of making Captain Cook square a purely entertainment area…

This is something I think you were advocating / hoping for in your previous post? But when it is actually happening, your response is “yeah, well, let’s just see if it’s successful eh?”
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The council have not acquired Hill Street Centre! But yes it has got the old Binns site and Capt Cooks Square. As well as the Cleveland center!
 
Acklam_Lad said:
I have seen the proposed cuts for Middlesbrough… they are disgusting and I have fed back my thoughts via the channels provided.

Every single cut was a front line service to either child services or vulnerable adults… I did not see one suggestion of any cuts to management or less critical services

The person that came up with these cuts should be ashamed of themselves… the person that seconded it needs shooting
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The people that came up with these cuts was Mayor Andy Preston and his hand picked Tory and Independent executive.
 
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