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[Demo] Liverpool's Budget Challenge
Reduce spending by £90.26m to balance the budget.
You have balanced the budget.
Council Tax
The Government only allows councils to increase council tax by up to 3.99 percent, unless a majority of residents vote for a higher amount in a referendum. Would you be in favour of an additional council tax rise of 6% (totalling 10% overall) if it were ringfenced for adults and children’s services?
0
%
.
£0
6
%
.
£0
Your comments on
Council Tax
(Optional)
Adults
Adult Social Care Commissioned Services
-50
%
.
£0
All three ‘hub’ centres close.
50-100% cut to specialist home care.
Widespread delays in hospital discharges.
Reduced services for carers.
Unable to provide care/services to a large number of people, resulting in possible legal challenge to the council.
-25
%
.
£0
Closure of one ‘hub’ centre and reduced opening hours in others. This would lead to a significant cut in community services and service users having to travel further to access one of the remaining hubs.
100% cut in specialist care.
Delays in providing care leads to longer delays in hospital discharges.
Delays in providing services to some people who are eligible to receive them, resulting in potential legal challenge to the council.
-10
%
.
£0
Cut in number of occupational therapists and longer waits for assessments, services and equipment.
Increase in number of people admitted to hospital unnecessarily.
One day service could close.
-5
%
.
£0
Reduced specialist care services, for example homecare for people with dementia.
Longer waiting time for services and shorter opening hours for day services.
Reduced access to equipment and adaptations which limits people’s independence and increases the demand on carers.
0
%
.
£0
Adult Social Work
-50
%
.
£0
Major reduction in staffing across the whole service.
Only able to deliver the most critical of services we have to provide by law.
Long delays in investigating safeguarding concerns, leaving adults at risk of harm.
-25
%
.
£0
Severe reduction in emergency social work services including mental health and out of hours service.
High risk to service users and communities due to delays in responding for requests for help.
Opening hours of Careline contact centre significantly reduced, leading to delays in vulnerable adults getting the help and support they need.
-10
%
.
£0
Further job cuts leading to waiting times for assessments increasing to six weeks.
Delays to hospital discharges.
-5
%
.
£0
Social worker job cuts leads to delays in assessments and hospital discharges.
Delays in safeguarding investigations of vulnerable adults.
0
%
.
£0
Your comments on
Adults
(Optional)
Children's
Children's Social Care
-50
%
.
£0
Real difficulty meeting legal obligations.
Only children in care or those already known to us as being at risk will be helped.
No short breaks or external support services.
-25
%
.
£0
Severe increased risk of abuse to children, less family support. Some cases not followed up.
No external services for children in care, children running away and adoptive parents.
-10
%
.
£0
Increased risk of abuse to children and less support to vulnerable families.
Children wait longer to see a social worker.
Social workers struggle to prepare thorough adoption assessments and place children for adoption.
-5
%
.
£0
Children’s home closes.
No short breaks for disabled children.
Fewer external services for children in care, children running away and adoptive parents.
0
%
.
£0
Early Help and Schools Support
-50
%
.
£0
Serious impact on Children’s Centres meaning they may become unviable.
-25
%
.
£0
Severely reduced psychology service - meaning very few children get the help they need.
Significant cuts to occupational therapy for disabled children.
-10
%
.
£0
Reduced Education Psychology Service to schools – meaning fewer children get help to overcome learning difficulties, social/emotional problems affecting their progress in schools.
Occupational therapy support for disabled children reduced.
-5
%
.
£0
Reduced services for children excluded from education. Funding for external services will stops.
0
%
.
£0
Your comments on
Children's
(Optional)
Community Services
Libraries
-50
%
.
£0
Central Library opening hours reduced by 50% while all other libraries across the city close. The Home Library Service stops.
We would risk not meeting the statutory (by law) requirement to provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ public library service.
-25
%
.
£0
Possible closure of up to seven libraries. The council would look to community organisations to step in or other alternatives, before considering this option.
This would mean a significant reduction in the library service across the city.
-10
%
.
£0
Withdraw some funding for the external organisations running community libraries. This could affect the service they offer.
-5
%
.
£0
Introduce charges for some events and exhibitions in our libraries, which could impact on attendance. Any money made would be reinvested in the service.
0
%
.
£0
Licensing and Public Protection
-50
%
.
£0
Unable to fulfil statutory (by law) duties to respond to complaints from the public.
Not enough resources to complete food and trading standards inspection programme required by the Food Standards Agency.
Public at increased risk of food poisoning, workplace accidents, housing-related ill-health and accidents.
-25
%
.
£0
Insufficient resources to complete the things we have to do by law – for example inspecting high risk food businesses, houses of multiple occupation, noise complaints etc. This could compromise public health and safety.
-10
%
.
£0
Delays in being able to respond to Environmental Health complaints, with response time doubling to seven days.
We cannot complete all food hygiene inspections.
Residents have to solve their own problems with noisy neighbours, food complaints etc.
Backlog in work which supports investment and building in the city e.g. contaminated land advice etc.
-5
%
.
£0
Reduced staffing means the end of free advice to those starting businesses or developers seeking pre-planning advice.
The majority of food-related complaints would no longer be investigated.
0
%
.
£0
Neighbourhood services
-50
%
.
£0
Wards will continue to have their bins emptied, streets cleaned etc. However, the council will no longer have the resources to investigate local environmental problems, with only minimal staff kept on to manage contracts with our partners.
-25
%
.
£0
No proactive work in neighbourhoods to tackle environmental issues. Reactive response to only the most serious incidents.
-10
%
.
£0
Fewer resources to address fly-tipping, waste collection issues etc. with single officers responsible for many areas of the city, causing backlogs in investigating complaints.
-5
%
.
£0
Less money to address local issues including dumping in alleyways, bins being left on the streets after collection, complaints about street cleaning etc.
0
%
.
£0
Parks and Green Spaces
-50
%
.
£0
The majority of the 60 neighbourhood parks close and we would also have to close some of the 14 district parks. Maintenance in remaining parks would reduce significantly. Only 10 city parks would remain.
-25
%
.
£0
Least used parks are no longer maintained at all, for example grassed areas grow into meadows.
Half of the 60 neighbourhood parks would no longer be maintained and face possible closure.
Likely increase in anti-social behaviour.
-10
%
.
£0
Reduced maintenance in all but the 10 city parks, for example, frequency of grass cutting reduced, flower beds left empty etc.
Increased backlog of repairs to play equipment and areas.
This would lead to less attractive parks/green spaces, more complaints and fewer visits.
-5
%
.
£0
Reduction in maintenance and standards across 60 neighbourhood parks e.g. grass cutting in parks falls from fortnightly to monthly.
0
%
.
£0
Safer Communities
-50
%
.
£0
The council is unable to work with other agencies in an integrated way to tackle crime and disorder.
Increase in victimisation and repeat victimisation.
No grant funding available to community organisations, leading to closure of projects that support vulnerable people and communities.
-25
%
.
£0
Increase in repeat victimisation and a lack of co-ordination between partner agencies (council/police/fire etc).
Further reduction in grant funding puts a large number of small community organisations at risk of closure.
No council support to communities following serious incidents.
-10
%
.
£0
More anti-social behaviour, issues not resolved at an early stage, victims of anti-social behaviour not supported.
Some small voluntary organisations who provide a service in their community will close due to the reduction in grant funding. Increases in isolation and community cohesion problems.
-5
%
.
£0
Risk to victims of crime increases – for example, impact on domestic abuse victims due to lack of a co-ordinated response from all the different Citysafe partners.
0
%
.
£0
Sports and Leisure
-50
%
.
£0
Only three Lifestyles centres are kept open. All other centres close. The council offers little support to sports-related health and education projects.
-25
%
.
£0
Four Lifestyles centres close, with reduced opening hours across all remaining centres.
-10
%
.
£0
One swimming pool closes. Less support for school swimming programme.
-5
%
.
£0
Reduced opening hours across all nine Lifestyles centres. Only key sites open at weekends.
0
%
.
£0
Street cleaning, bins and recycling.
-50
%
.
£0
Unable to clean streets or carry out waste collections required by law. Impact on health and wellbeing of city’s residents due to increase in litter, rats and dirt. Business and economy suffers as city centre becomes less attractive.
-25
%
.
£0
Unable to meet statutory requirements (by law) to keep the city clean, leading to increased litter. Possible reduction in residents’ bin collections.
-10
%
.
£0
Streets will not be cleaned and litter bins not emptied after 8pm.
-5
%
.
£0
Less able to deal with fly-tipping promptly, leading to delays in removal.
Collection charges could be introduced for bulky household and green waste collections, and for replacing lost and stolen bins.
0
%
.
£0
Youth Services and Youth Offending
-50
%
.
£0
Major reductions in funding to community groups, no council staff to support community groups.
Prevention work with young people at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation could cease, leaving these young people at greater risk.
Anti-social behavior and youth crime increases, as does the number of young people offending.
Many voluntary youth organisations at risk of closure due to lack of funding and staffing.
-25
%
.
£0
Statutory work falls below the minimum national standards. No prevention work with young people will be undertaken meaning an increase in the number of young people offending. Youth activities reduced, anti-social behaviour and youth disorder increases. Voluntary youth organisations at risk of closure due to lack of funding and staffing.
-10
%
.
£0
Play and youth activities only in the most disadvantaged areas.
Significant reductions in activities in other areas of the city.
Reduction in the amount of prevention work.
Potential closure of youth providers.
Increase in anti-social behaviour and disorder.
-5
%
.
£0
Reduced staffing hours to voluntary sector organisations resulting in reduced opening hours and less access to youth services.
Some organisations may not be able to keep their service running without council staff.
0
%
.
£0
Your comments on
Community Services
(Optional)
Customer Access
One Stop Shops and Contact Centre
-50
%
.
£0
Closure of five or more One Stop Shops. Longer waiting times in the remaining shops. Contact centre reduced to a minimal service. Long delays for customers. Significant staff cuts. Risk of reputational damage to the council due to increase in customer complaints.
-25
%
.
£0
Three or more One Stop Shops could close. Customers have to travel further to access an alternative One Stop Shop. Longer waiting times in the remaining shops. Contact centre opening hours could be reduced further.
Staff cuts across all areas cause potential drop in standards, more customer complaints and dissatisfaction.
-10
%
.
£0
Opening hours of One Stop Shops cut, meaning longer waiting times and increased customer dissatisfaction.
-5
%
.
£0
Opening hours of Contact Centre cut, meaning longer waiting times and increased customer dissatisfaction.
0
%
.
£0
Your comments on
Customer Access
(Optional)
Public Health
Public Health
-50
%
.
£0
No public health campaigns. Service could not operate any health interventions, which are most effective in reducing preventable ill health.
People wanting to make lifestyle changes to improve their health would receive no support.
Smoking rates, obesity, addictions and high risk drinking would all increase.
More people would go to Accident and Emergency adding more pressure on NHS.
Increased rates of sexually transmitted diseases.
People at risk of cardiovascular disease would not be supported to make lifestyle changes.
Number of health visitor assessments of newborns and young children would dramatically reduce.
-25
%
.
£0
No campaigns on public health to whole city, no information about making positive lifestyle changes and preventing ill health. Healthy homes/fuel poverty work would stop. Fewer staff to provide services. Smoking rates would increase. Rates of addiction and high risk drinking would increase.
More pressure on hospitals and NHS.
-10
%
.
£0
All services would be reduced Less specialist care available, longer waiting lists for people referred by their doctor for support. No resources to follow up invitations for health checks.
Potential knock on effect could include increase in hospital admissions for alcohol-related illness.
-5
%
.
£0
Reduction in specialist care services such as addiction support, stop smoking or weight management, which potentially increases demand on the NHS.
0
%
.
£0
Your comments on
Public Health
(Optional)
Regeneration and Employment
Employment and Skills
-50
%
.
£0
3,500 fewer people helped into work over the next five years.
-25
%
.
£0
2,500 fewer people helped into work over the next five years.
-10
%
.
£0
1,000 fewer people helped into work over next five years.
-5
%
.
£0
500 fewer people helped into work over next five years.
0
%
.
£0
Events and Culture
-50
%
.
£0
No events. Every major cultural organisation in the city at risk, with a significant number of closures. St George’s Hall and the Town Hall left unused. No grants available for any festivals/arts. A major impact on city’s economy and reputation.
-25
%
.
£0
Film Office closes, making the city a less attractive place to do business for TV and film companies and resulting in lost income to council.
Limited opening of major venues including St George’s and the Town Hall.
More cultural organisations close.
City less able to attract funding and could offer very little support to the cultural sector. This would result in significant damage to city’s reputation and would impact on visitor numbers and spending.
-10
%
.
£0
More events cancelled, all other events could be charged for.
Increased admission charges to city’s cultural venues.
Closure of 10-20 cultural organisations.
Film Office reduced, unable to support as many TV and film companies, affecting council’s income.
Loss of income into the city and job losses across the cultural and tourism sectors.
Community arts not supported.
-5
%
.
£0
Cancellation of some events, some events no longer free, less funding and risks for others.
Closure of 5-10 small/medium cultural organisations.
0
%
.
£0
Growing the City
-50
%
.
£0
Majority of council sports centres, libraries and care homes close. Almost 12,000 fewer jobs; 500 fewer businesses and 20,000 fewer people supported into work.
City misses out on significant number of regeneration schemes and £1 billion of investment.
-25
%
.
£0
Over 4,500 fewer jobs, 300 fewer businesses and 8,000 fewer people supported into work.
City misses out 25 regeneration schemes and investment by businesses, worth a potential £350 million.
More libraries, sport centres and care homes close due to lack of money for renovations/repairs.
-10
%
.
£0
Over 1500 fewer jobs, 80 fewer businesses and 4000 fewer people helped into work over next five years.
Some libraries, sport centres and care home close due to lack of money for repairs and renovations.
-5
%
.
£0
Cuts to services means up to 800 fewer jobs, 50 fewer businesses and 2000 fewer people helped into work over the next five years.
0
%
.
£0
Housing
-50
%
.
£0
500 fewer homes built per year in the city.
No work on empty properties.
No energy efficiency measures or support for households suffering from fuel poverty, affecting the most vulnerable residents in the city.
Whole housing areas become unsustainable, with house prices falling, negative equity and the number of empty properties rising.
No homelessness prevention work. Homelessness becomes a major city-wide problem, placing more pressure on the council’s budget.
-25
%
.
£0
250 fewer homes built each year in the city.
Reduced number of home adaptations provided for disabled people.
Less homelessness prevention work.
Less work on empty properties.
More people in temporary accommodation.
More nuisance properties.
Less affordable housing available.
Fewer security measures put into empty homes.
Homelessness becomes a significant city-wide problem.
-10
%
.
£0
Loss of handyperson schemes, which help older people with small jobs in the home; less work to prevent rough sleeping; fewer home adaptations and less work on empty properties.
-5
%
.
£0
Many services to older people reduced; less help available for finding homes; less advice on keeping homes warm.
0
%
.
£0
Planning and Building Control
-50
%
.
£0
Planning delays of six weeks, no public consultation, deterioration in city’s historic buildings.
Impact on major regeneration schemes as businesses and investors lose confidence in building and investing in the city, and take their business elsewhere.
-25
%
.
£0
Planning delays by five weeks, council less able to respond to dangerous structures; loss of grants for historic buildings.
-10
%
.
£0
Planning decisions delays by three weeks. Our ability to deal with developments that have breached planning permission or are unsafe, would be affected.
-5
%
.
£0
Planning decisions delayed by two weeks.
0
%
.
£0
Tourism
-50
%
.
£0
Only the Cruise Terminal would be funded. All other services would stop.This would have a major effect on the city, impacting upon the number of tourists, damaging the city’s economy and reputation and leading to job losses in businesses that depend upon tourism.
-25
%
.
£0
Closure of all three Tourist Information Centres with a loss of jobs and reduced visitor satisfaction. Severe impact on the city’s economic performance and reputation.
-10
%
.
£0
All tourism support by the council would stop. This would damage the city’s economy and reputation.
One of our three Tourist Information Centres could close, with a loss of jobs and reduced visitor satisfaction levels.
-5
%
.
£0
Less money for marketing and information to attract national and international tourists.
The city would attract fewer visitors, meaning less money spent in the city, affecting jobs and damaging the economy and city’s reputation.
0
%
.
£0
Transport and Roads
-50
%
.
£0
Lack of budget leaves many roads and paths unusable. Gas, water pipes and sewers damaged. Traffic deaths and injuries rise. Areas of the city at a standstill. Damage to city’s reputation and businesses.
-25
%
.
£0
Only major roads will be gritted, leading to possible increase in accidents on minor roads, delays to journeys and inconvenience to businesses/residents.
-10
%
.
£0
Roads, parking, footpaths, verge and street light conditions worsen with longer waits for repairs.
Delays to repairs causes more congestion on the city’s main roads.
-5
%
.
£0
More potholes, more tripping accidents and more flooding on the roads.
0
%
.
£0
Your comments on
Regeneration and Employment
(Optional)
Resources
Council Tax, Benefits and Business Rates
-50
%
.
£0
Severe service reductions, loss of income.
Claim processing seriously delayed.
Significant delays in issuing taxpayers’ bills and reduced ability to collect taxes and debts, leading to the council losing money.
Little money available to support low income households in need, leaving people in crisis.
-25
%
.
£0
Major reduction in funds to provide support to households in need, leaving the most hard pressed/low income families to struggle.
-10
%
.
£0
Less financial support to help low income households.
Claim processing delayed, leading to customers having to wait longer for benefits.
Some delays in issuing bills and reduced ability to collect taxes and debts.
-5
%
.
£0
Reduction in benefits advice to customers and delays in processing claims for benefits.
0
%
.
£0
Democratic Services
-50
%
.
£0
Sanctions against Electoral services as unable to meet legal responsibilities.
Sanctions from Ministry of Justice/Chief Coroner as inquest times over six months.
-25
%
.
£0
Staff cuts affect people’s right to vote, as large numbers of electors not registered. Elections subject to challenge.
Coroners unable to deliver a service, fund post mortems, or carry out medical enquiries to determine cause of death.
Unable to meet legal timescales for registering births and deaths, affecting people’s ability to plan funerals, claim benefits.
-10
%
.
£0
Significant delays in processing death reports for the Coroner, leading to delays in registering deaths and delays in funerals.
Long delays to inquests being held due to reduction in administrative team and limited witness/juror budget.
-5
%
.
£0
Reduced administrative support for Coroner, which could lead to delays in funerals being held and longer waiting times for families to register deaths.
Reduced Registry Service meaning longer waits for appointments to register births, deaths and marriages.
Some income generating services suspended, meaning loss of income.
0
%
.
£0
Your comments on
Resources
(Optional)