Colchester Council to hold budget meeting behind closed doors

Colchester Council is set to hold a secret meeting at the Town Hall this evening between councillors and the newly appointed senior leadership team.

According to bosses at the authority, the gathering will serves as an opportunity for direct discussions about the challenges facing the council.

These include its financial position and the strategies being deployed to overcome them.

Challenge - Colchester Council leader David King has said the authority, as with many others across the UK, faces serious budget challenges (Image: George King, Newsquest)

A spokesman for Colchester Council said: “We can confirm there is an event this evening, specifically scheduled for councillors to meet with the newly appointed senior leadership team. Invitations for this event were extended to members in early September.

"While this event is not open to the public, it aligns with the council’s commitment to keep all members informed, which is an essential practice of good governance.

“This is not a formal decision-making meeting and all decisions on the setting of the budget for next year will be taken through the council’s established formal and public decision-making processes.”

Sources have previously told the Gazette the meeting would focus on the possibility of wide-ranging cuts as the council looks to prevent the budget gap from widening further.
Consequences - Councillor Mark Cory said a pay increase for council staff would place a greater strain on council finances (Image: Newsquest)
Senior managers and heads of service have been invited to attend the meeting, which is will be led by Colchester Council leader, David King.

As with most local authorities across the UK, Colchester Council is faced with having to make swingeing cuts to its budget because of a stagnant economy and rises in utilities and construction costs following sanctions on Russia last year.

But Colchester Council has also been faced with strike action from trade unions after three quarters of council staff voted in favour of downing tools unless they secured a new pay deal.

In response, the authority agreed to apply to the National Joint Council for a £1,925 pay increase on all spinal column points from April.

But although settlement could be a victory for employees, a pay rise would only widen the financial chasm facing the authority.

It prompted Mark Cory, the council's portfolio holder for resources, to say that if the pay offer if accepted  could have knock-on effects.

He said last month: "There will be consequences when we have to pay out more to staff.

"We do have to look where in the budget we are going to find the money to be able to do that."