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Pendle Council's huge step towards cutting £1.5m
Published: Friday, 11th November 2016
Pendle's leading councillors are expected to take a huge step next week towards the target of cutting £1.5m from its spending next year.
The proposals will go before the Executive meeting next week on 17th November, which is being asked to send them to the Council meeting in December.
As well as saving money they will safeguard 300 jobs in Nelson and improve service delivery overall.
The idea is to save almost half a million pounds a year - money which would otherwise have to be cut from services.
The proposals will mean:
• Extending the Council’s contract with Liberata for ten years, to 2030
• Buying Number One Market Street from its owners and leasing it direct to Liberata
• Digitally transforming some of the Council’s services.
Councillor Mohammed Iqbal, Leader of Pendle Council, said:
“We’ve been hit hard by government cuts and this move will save the Council almost £500,000 per year.
"This will help us to protect our frontline services," he said.
“It will also secure Liberata as a major employer in Pendle and in particular Nelson where it employs 300 people in Number One Market Street.
"That footfall has a big impact on the town’s economy," he said.
Councillor Tony Greaves, Deputy Leader of Pendle Council, said:
“Buying the building and leasing it to Liberata will save millions of pounds between now and 2030.
"The deal provides certainty for both the Council and Liberata.
" The money to buy the building will be borrowed and repaid at the current rock-bottom interest rates - it’s a win-win for both sides," he said.
Liberata has been working in partnership with Pendle Council since 2005 and currently provides customer services, benefits, collection of council tax and business rates, information technology, property, quantity surveying, architects and human resources.
The Customer Services Centre based at Number One Market Street is responsible for managing contact with more than 80,000 Pendle residents and is pivotal in keeping them informed about key public services.
Staff in Number One Market Street also work for Burnley Council, North Somerset Council, Hounslow London Borough Council, Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, and the London Borough of Bromley Council.
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