LIB DEMS EXPRESS CONCERNS OVER 'RESHAPING' PROPOSALS

11.48.11am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 24th Oct 2007

The Liberal Democrat Council Group have expressed concerns at the Conservative Elected Mayor's proposed 'slash and burn' of Torbay Council.

The proposals will go before a meeting of the Council on the 30th October.

In particular the Group has expressed concerns over:

Whether the reshaping will result in jobs and money going out of the Bay in profit to an outside company;

That there is too much emphasis on tourism and not enough on all year round quality jobs for local people;

The lack of detail, particularly on the likely cost to achieve the proposed savings; the costs of any new appointments and whether the Council can afford redundancies;

That the Council has spent tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers money on outside consultants when it could, as it has done in the past, come up with radical proposals itself;

A growing democratic deficit - Councillors are becoming dislocated from services leading to a lack of accountability.

Overview and Scrutiny is not functioning properly, and needs to be revitalised if proper governance is to take place in the new system.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Torbay Council Steve Darling said: "As a small unitary Council, Torbay Council does have to work differently to get things done. However, there is a real danger that the Council will rush through these changes without really knowing what they are letting themselves in for. If this 'reshaping' is mishandled then it could result in a poorer services. There has been minimal consultation with staff, service users, partners and elected members. The Conservative Mayor is adopting a 'take it or leave it' approach, treating his proposals as the only show in town. The Council has, in the past, come up with radical proposals, such as the Adult Care Trust and the Torbay Development Agency, without needing to spend thousands of pounds on Consultants."