We are in the budget period

The economic problems at a national level have cascaded down to Local Government to a frightening extent. The expectation of sustainable regional grants coming from central government has been shattered as they battle with the national deficit. Over 50% cuts in the money needed by Councils to maintain front line services has made the process of budgeting a nightmare. Thankfully by prudent accounting and cost cutting we at CBC are still well above water with our decision to partner in areas such as waste and revenues and benefits paying dividends. Also our partnership with East Dorset has delivered savings beyond expectation but looking ahead and making a balanced budget and linking it to a medium term financial strategy is becoming more and more of a problem especially as we expect more financial cuts to come. We are determined to maintain front line services within our responsibility and to do so will continue to leave no stone unturned which could lead to cost cutting and revenue increase. This process absorbs massive resources from officers and key members alike so expect some midnight oil to be burned over the next month or so. Meanwhile our corporate objectives stand as decided in 2011 and as a council we are delivering in all the key areas namely housing,economy,environment,community and council performance. As a result we are looking forward to 2014 being a growing year for Christchurch showing that we live in a great community and an area that is a good place to invest.