| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Proposed closure of Wandsworth Museum | |
| Posted by: | Malcolm Grimston | |
| Date/Time: | 11/03/07 09:07:00 |
| But this is how policy is always made. Objectives are identified, initial proposals made, discussions follow (including, as you will know Martin, not only taking into account public comments but also vigorous debate within the Conservative group to produce a policy which everyone hails as being in the community's best interest), new proposals emerge, they are scrutinised by the Council and then a decision is taken. The use of the word 'afterthought' is therefore rather odd - it would be like describing the creation of our new school in Chartfield Crescent (Paddock Primary) for youngsters with Severe, and complex Moderate, Learning Difficulties as an 'afterthought' because it was not in the initial version of the major investment in our Special Schools in which you and I were involved. As you say (and I have always made clear), the starting point was a need to respond to the £5.3 million cut in government support, given that raising council tax by the maximum with all the trouble that causes people on fixed incomes, as we have reluctantly done, only gives us £2 million and that all London Boroughs are expecting things to be much much worse over the next three years (cross-London consensus is that the cash increase in each of the next three years is expected to be 1%, i.e. something like a 3% cut in real terms, with more Borough treasurers thinking it will be 0% than thinking it will be more than 1%). But what has emerged is an exciting enhancement of cultural activity (as understood by most residents) in the Borough. It is the final outcome which is the matter for discussion, surely, not the process by which it emerges - otherwise there would be no point in listening to people's responses to initial proposals (e.g. the concern that was raised about the future of the Court House). I do not believe the additional 100,000 visits to the new library will lead people to spend too much time wondering how the decision-making process was carried out which has delivered them such a great benefit. By the way, accounting rules which all councils must follow (and which prevent fiddling the figures for political advantage) dictate that we have to consider budget headings, not the day-to-day recruitment picture with respect to any service. (Of course, at any moment a certain number of council posts will be vacant because staff have moved on and we are recruiting their replacements.) I will find out what the current vacancy position at the Museum (if any) is like but the aim always is to recruit up to establishment so the budget variation is always, by convention, the full cost of establishment. |