Conservatives endorse final recommendations of the BDR 6th April

Surrey’s Conservative controlled Executive has today added its seal of approval to the final recommendations of the Business Delivery Review which will be laid before Council on Tuesday 11th April.

The BDR, whose remit 7 months ago was to re-structure the council into a fit for purpose organisation and release significant efficiency savings, will result in £20m of savings this year being achieved and a predicted 5 year savings total of £137.9m with a reduction in headcount of 561 full time employees.

As a result of the recommendations of the BDR, the council will become a more efficient organisation and SCC has already been cited as a model of good practice with other authorities seeking to replicate what Surrey has achieved.

Commenting, Nick Skellett, Conservative Group Leader said:

“Year on year Surrey has suffered, and will continue to suffer, grant loses from this Labour government, forcing us to raise Council Tax in order to continue to provide frontline services. If the Executive hadn’t taken the decision today to endorse the final recommendations of the BDR, then the government would bring us to our knees, and we would be forced to engage in salami slicing across all our services. I take no pleasure in the fact that we will be making people redundant, however, I also take no pleasure in being forced to keep on rising the level of Council Tax, and the impact which this has upon Surrey’s pensioners or those on a fixed income.

The new structure endorsed today will enable Surrey to continue to be an innovative authority, empowering us to achieve projects such as Pegasus, and establish Surrey as a flagship, Conservative run, County Council.

Nick Skellett added:

“Regrettably, the Lib Dems have failed to help us find any alternative solutions to the dilemma the council faces, in fact, they have offered no clear proposals during the whole of the consultation process and have opposed everything we have done to date. In effect, by failing to support the BDR on Tuesday, they will be voting for higher Council Tax and reduced frontline services.”