Sutton Council is proposing to put up council tax because of unprecedented cuts to its funding by central government and growing pressures on services for vulnerable people. The proposed increase of 1.99% for 2015/16, approved by Strategy and Resources Committee yesterday, will generate £1.6m per annum and would mean an increase of £22.71 a year or 44p a week for a band D property.

The additional income will help to reduce the funding gap and protect some key services that have a significant impact on people’s lives and future costs to the taxpayer, for example, effective prevention and early intervention that can reduce the likelihood of vulnerable adults moving into residential care. After freezing council tax for the past five years, the Council is faced with having to make £40m of savings from its annual budget by 2019. These are on top of £32m already saved since 2010. The council’s current annual budget is £152m.

The Council has been reviewing all areas of its work in order to make savings by commissioning services with other boroughs, reducing the amount of senior managers and staff and changing or stopping services in consultation with residents. At Monday’s Strategy and Resources Committee, the recommended revenue budget for 2015/16 was outlined including a government revenue grant reduction of £8m, inflation and other costs of £2.2m and growing pressures of £4.9m which include increases in the costs of safeguarding children.

It was proposed to be balanced by savings of £11.4m, a council tax increase of 1.99% which would provide £1.6m, the use of £600,000 in reserves and other changes such as the council tax base going up which would generate £1.5m. The council will also announced additional spending in certain key areas including an extra £2.9m for children’s safeguarding; an extra £300,000 for special needs transport; and a new pot of £1.8m set aside for the new Care Act which will make significant changes around assessment and eligibility for the cared for and, for the first time, carers themselves.

The Committee approved the proposal which means it will now have to be approved by the next Full Council meeting for it to come into effect.

Simon Wales, Lead Member for Finance at Sutton Council, said:

“We are proud to have frozen council tax for the past five years, but the continued government cuts to our funding and going pressures on services for vulnerable people mean we have to make some very hard decisions. The fairest way to achieve these enforced savings has been to share the burden. We have already made radical changes to the council to cut costs, staff and commission services in other ways including jointly with neighbourhing boroughs. That has saved more than £32m. Now we are faced with having to put up council tax by 1.99% as well as stopping and changing some services. We will review the situation on an annual basis. This will help pay for additional spending on children’s safeguarding, special needs transport and the increased cost of claims by cared for people and their carers due to the new Care Act.  Residents can help us to reshape services by taking part in Sutton’s Future. As we have already seen with the future of green garden waste service and theatres, people’s views really do effect what happens.”

Sutton’s Future

Sutton Council launched Sutton’s Future in July 2014 so that residents could be involved in the hard decisions the council would have to take in stopping or changing services in order to make the enforced budget cuts.

As a result of community participation in Sutton’s Future, the council is exploring providing a paid for green garden waste service rather than stopping the service completely, and will hand over the running of two theatres to a community group rather than selling the buildings. Both measures will save the council millions

Councillors Jill Whitehead, Alan Salter and Hamish Pollock previously reported that Sutton Council’s Planning Committee unanimously threw out Carshalton Athletic Football Club’s two major planning applications on 22nd January 2014. These applications were for (1) the increased use of the floodlights; and (2) the replacement of the turf pitch with a “3G” plastic pitch.

The Football Club appealed against the Council’s decision. The appeal was heard by the Planning Inspectorate based in Bristol, an unelected Government agency with no local connections. The Council had no right to oppose this appeal under planning law.

The Planning Inspectorate visited the site on 26^th January 2015, and made a decision on 5^th February 2015. They allowed CAFC’s appeal overturning Sutton’s Council’s decision. The Planning Inspectorate granted CAFC planning permission for:- 1) the use of six floodlights under application C2008/59870/FUL; and 2) the replacement of the natural turf pitch with an artificial pitch (3G) at the War Memorial Sports Ground, Colston Avenue, under application C2013/68433/FUL.

However, the Planning Inspectorate imposed several planning conditions including:- 1) That the artificial pitch will not lead to an increase in flood risk either within the site or elsewhere; 2) To install approved drainage arrangements before the pitch is used; 3) A limitation in hours of use from 9am to 9.15pm on weekdays or Saturdays (except weekday fixtures when it may be used until 11pm) and until 8pm on Sundays; 4) The site shall only be used as a community facility and it shall NOT be operated as a commercial 5 a side football centre.

We understand that CAFC will be applying to the Sports Foundation, another government agency, for funds to install the artificial 3G pitch.

Sutton teens pledge to make borough better for young people, as UK Youth Parliament members announced

Ethan Smith thinks young people in Sutton aren’t listened to enough – he wants to have councillor open days in schools across the borough. He is now one step closer to making sure Sutton’s youth are heard. Sixteen-year-old Ethan, a pupil at Stanley Park High in Carshalton, is the new Sutton member of the UK […]

http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2015/01/sutton-theatres-saved-private-company/

A recent article in “The Stage”:

The future of two theatres in south 
London have been secured after their local council agreed to outsource their management to a private company.

The Secombe and Charles Cryer Studio theatres are owned by Sutton Council, which currently also manages the buildings. However, the running of the venues will be handed over to Sutton Theatres Trust, a private company limited by guarantee, in April. It is not a charitable trust. Both theatres came under threat in 2014 when the council announced that, in order to make £40 million of cuts across its services, it planned to sell both venues.

Transferring their operation to the Sutton Theatres Trust will ensure that the venues remain open. The decision comes after a public consultation last autumn in which residents could submit their views on the theatres’ futures.

Councillor Jill Whitehead, chair of the council’s environment and neighbourhoods committee, said the move was “a great example of the council and the community working in tandem to shape the future of our borough”.

Sutton Theatres Trust was founded by producer Beri Juraic and actor and director Micha Colombo, who said in a joint statement: “It’s a tough era for the arts, and we’re thrilled that the council made what we believe to be the right decision to keep the theatres alive. We hope that the council will continue to support and collaborate with such crucial pillars of the local community for everyone’s benefit.”

The council previously subsidised the Secombe with £427,500 per year and the Charles Cryer Studio with £252,000. But a report produced last year claimed that only 22% of Sutton’s adult residents visited the council’s eight cultural venues, including the two theatres. Both theatres were placed on the 
Theatres Trust’s Theatre Buildings 
at Risk Register in 2014. Rebecca Morland, from the national advisory body, said she was “delighted” the theatres were now safe. “We look forward to taking them off the list when we publish our 2015 register in September.”

Severe Weather and Seasonal Advice.

Time to tackle London’s housing crisis.

Yesterday the Liberal Democrat Group on the London Assembly presented our alternative budget, calling on the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to get a grip on London’s growing housing crisis.

With over 700,000 people currently languishing on housing waiting lists, inner London properties out of reach for first time buyers, and workers leaving London due to unaffordable rents, London’s housing market needs fixing if London is to retain its competitive edge on the international stage.

Yesterday we set out how the Mayor could fund a large scale home-building initiative to double the number of affordable homes being delivered in our city – a first step to providing homes for all Londoners.

Will you sign my petition calling on Boris to take responsibility and use the powers at his disposal to start tackling London’s housing crisis?

Caroline Pidgeon

Leader, London Assembly Liberal Democrats

PS Our budget amendment also sets out ways to tackle air pollution, reverse the recent fare hike on off peak travel for people in Outer London, and our plans to expand the cycle hire scheme

Sutton leads the way in London for digital Freedom Pass renewals, but remaining residents urged to go online. Sutton Council is leading the way digitally – not only does the borough have one of the highest Freedom Pass renewals rates in London, but it is the only council to ditch paper forms. So far, more than 20,000 older people have reapplied for the free travel offer online themselves or with the help of library staff.

In total, around 79% of those with expiring Freedom Passes in Sutton have reapplied using the quick and easy online renewal process, instead of a paper form favoured in the rest of London. However, there are still more than 5,000 older people who need to renew their passes before the 31 January deadline. To continue travelling in and around London without cost, you must complete a quick and easy renewal process online or at the library, using the unique renewal number you should have received in the post.

Colin Stears, Chair of the Adult Social Services and Health Committee, said:

“Our fantastic online Freedom Pass renewal rate really goes to show that our libraries are at the centre of innovation in London. While other boroughs are still favouring the less efficient paper process, we are using our library service to lead the way digitally.The online renewal process is quicker than waiting for the bus and, if you don’t like computers, our friendly library staff are more than happy to help out, so please grab your letter and get renewing before it is too late. For more information or to find out if you are eligible for a Freedom Pass, go to the London Councils website. If you have not received your renewal letter including your unique renewal number, phone London Councils on 0300 330 1433.

From Caroline Pidgeon’s latest newsletter…

Caroline says:- ”

We are still waiting for the results of the review into changes to Safer Neighbourhood Teams that the police have been carrying out. The new policing model has centralised policing in London and left local Safer Neighbourhood Teams with just one dedicated PC and one PCSO per ward. Previously each ward had 1 sergeant, 2 PCs and 3 PCSOs as a minimum.

The Metropolitan Police have been carrying out a review and we are pushing them to make changes. Even the Met Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe confirmed to me at a Police and Crime Committee that the changes may have gone too far.

We have also had confirmed that the Met Police will be looking again at the future of police stations in the next couple of years and may close more to help with their budget. Again there are no details yet on this.

I will keep you posted on any news on these important local issues…”

Cllr. Jill Whitehead at the signing ceremony with representatives of the Sutton Theatres Trust

Theatres Trust praises Sutton Council for finding a community solution and will take theatres off its At Risk RegisterThe show will go on for both of Sutton’s theatres which are set to be taken over a new theatre company to herald an exciting new era for the two venues.

Members of Sutton Council’s Environment and Neighbourhoods committee agreed on Thursday night for the Sutton Theatres Trust to take over the running of the Charles Cryer Studio Theatre in Carshalton High Street and the Secombe Theatre near the Civic Offices in central Sutton.

Sutton Council began a review of its cultural services in August, through its Sutton’s Future campaign which involves the pubic in helping to reshape council services in order to make £40m of savings to its annual budget by 2019 due to unprecedented government cuts. The council has been subsidising every visit to the two theatres by £9 on average.

The council promised to consult users and try to find arts groups who could take over the ownership and management of the two theatres with no cost to the council. If not they would be sold. Through a series of meetings and workshops with potential bidders and 1,262 responses to an online and telephone survey, we have found the right candidate to take the theatres over and keep them open. Sutton Theatres Trust, a company limited by guarantee, will lease both theatres for a 10-year period after being chosen from two bids on the basis of artistic and community value, financial stability and sustainability, governance and track record.

The decision has been given cross-party support.

Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee, said:

“We are delighted to have secured a future for both our theatres. This is a great example of the council and the community working in tandem to shape the future of our borough in an extremely difficult time of continued cuts.

“The quality of the Sutton Theatres Trust submission was excellent and clearly shows the passion that our community has for our theatres. They have greater expertise in theatre management which means these cultural centres will no longer be a drain on the council tax payer.

“The timescale was tight and a lot of hard work has gone into the bidding process so I would like to thank everyone that has taken part in the consultation.”

The winning bid scored highly for innovative programming, community engagement, audience development and financial planning which includes leasing the theatres from the council.

Subject to successful legal, financial and asset management negotiations, the handover process is scheduled for 1 April 2015. It is likely the company will operate in a shadow capacity alongside the existing arrangements over the summer to ensure a successful handover.

Beri Juraic and Micha Colombo, Sutton Theatres Trust, said:

“These theatres matter – there is already fantastic community engagement, and we’re hoping to build on that by introducing professional theatre shows and by programming more activities in both venues. Our vision, in a nutshell, is to provide West-End quality theatre on your doorstep at a fraction of the cost.

“It won’t be easy. What comes next is hard work, rolling sleeves up and getting to know the venues and our audiences. We can’t do it alone – the more input we have from audiences, user groups and local people – the better.

“We want to reiterate that community theatre will remain at the heart of both spaces – we will simply be adding professional theatre to the mix and making more of the spaces available.”

“It’s a tough era for the arts, and we’re thrilled that the council made what we believe to be the right decision to keep the theatres alive. We hope that the council will continue to support and collaborate with such crucial pillars of the local community for everyone’s benefit.”

The Theatres Trust, the national advisory body for theatres, gave invaluable help both to Sutton Council and prospective bidders during the consultation period.

Rebecca Morland, an Adviser at the Trust’s Theatres, said:

“Sutton Council’s approach is a great example of how local authorities can work with their communities to save valuable amenities like theatres.

“We are delighted about this decision as it gives both the Charles Cryer and Secombe theatres a new life and the opportunity to continue serving their communities. We placed these theatres on the annual Theatres Trust’s Theatres Building at Risk Register in 2014 when their future was put in doubt. We look forward to taking them off the list when we publish our 2015 Register in September this year.”

Sutton’s Future is Sutton Council’s campaign to involve people in helping to shape the future of services in Sutton in line with unprecedented government cuts. For more information visit www.suttonsfuture.org

Sutton Theatre Trust was founded by producer Beri Juraic and theatre maker Micha Colombo for the purpose of preserving Sutton’s theatres. Beri Juraic is a creative producer with extensive experience in professional theatre in the UK and beyond, and Micha Colombo is a professionally trained actor and director with experience in theatre, voiceover and short film. Both are local residents.

• Residents are invited to put forward ideas, comments and suggestions for the trust. Please emailinfo@suttontheatres.com

Your local councillors in the heart of Carshalton’s Conservation Area

This is to advise The Lodge consultation is still open until end of February 2015. We’d like to encourage those who haven’t yet done so to complete EcoLocal’s online consultation questionnaire to have a say about the future of The Lodge.

In September 2011 the Council’s Carshalton Local Committee agreed that it would like to see The Lodge (off Honeywood Walk) and The Grove (House) buildings used respectively by Eco-Local and a voluntary sector partnership. Since then both groups have been working up their proposals for taking over these buildings.

Eco-Local has undertaken a feasibility study for The Lodge which includes offices, teaching classroom, communal meeting facilities, residential, storage and workshops. Eco-Local are developing their plans further, including a survey of the building, intending to agree terms and conditions and submit a planning application during the first half of 2015.

Eco Local has just finished consulting local groups on their plans. We understand that over 350 responses were received and 97% were enthusiastic about EcoLocal’s plans for the Lodge. Ecolocal is a well-respected local environmental charity and commands much local support.

Eco Local also gave a presentation on their plans to the January 2015 meeting of the Council’s Carshalton Local Committee, and residents also expressed their continued interest there.

It was therefore surprising to Hamish, Alan and Jill as local councillors that the opposition Conservative councillors attacked the idea of The Lodge being taken over by EcoLocal when asking questions at the meeting of the Full Council on Monday, 19th January 2014. One Conservative councillor suggested that The Lodge should be sold at market rate to realise a profit for the council. This suggestion was roundly rejected at the Carshalton Local Committee held in September 2011 where the clear majority of residents wanted The Lodge to be leased to EcoLocal. The same Conservative councillor also suggested The Lodge should be sold to ease the housing shortage with affordable housing for rent on the site. He clearly did not know that The Lodge was within The Grove Park Management Plan boundaries, that it was in the high profile Carshalton Village Conservation Area and that it was an historic building. This sort of proposal is just not suitable for a green parkland area next to Carshalton Ponds, for a conservation area (where planning is tightly controlled), and would destroy the building’s historic past.

Hamish, Alan and Jill will continue to support EcoLocal’s takeover of The Lodge from the Council on a lease from the Council. This is the same business model being used for the successful bidder for the Charles Cryer Theatre. The Sutton Theatres Trust is taking over the Charles Cryer and Secombe Theatres on a lease from the council, and like EcoLocal will pay rent to the council. The opposition Conservatives have pledged support for the theatres takeover, but it seems not for EcoLocal.