So the news is out there in the press regarding the leisure centres (no apologies) – but also many other assets including libraries, hardwick hall, the gala theatre, DLI museum…… the full report is on the Northern Echo website: http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/council/durhamcountycouncil/9474772.Charity_plan_for_council_s_assets/

I am somewhat torn on this. In relation to leisure centres, if the Council had thought this through last year, Crook, Ferryhill, Sherburn, Abbey and Coxhoe and Deerness could still have been running as before – many of us offered these options to run the centres. Clearly the Council took all this valuable information and has used it to its advantage to look at other assets.

I am still disgusted that it didn’t consider this for the leisure centres in the first place.

Putting that to one side for a moment, if all these other assets are transferred out of council control it will indeed save a lot of money. It could also remove considerable political control from these assets – not a bad thing given how badly Labour runs the council. The way in which these trust(s) are set up will require a lot of scrutiny however to ensure that the Labour Party doesn’t just fill them with..well you get the idea. I think it is essential that we ensure that there is some minimal political influence on the boards of any trust, which must be cross party and non-party to make sure that any taxpayer funding is spent wisely.

Of some serious concern – and expect the unions to start to raise this –  is the implications for staff. I strongly believe that the way in which the neighbourhood services department is being run is unacceptable. If these changes come into effect and huge numbers of staff are transferred in effect out of council control, then there must be an equal if not greater cut in numbers at a senior staffing level within County Hall otherwise it will become even more grossly top heavy.

When the 2012-13 budget proposals come out, I am sure that frontline will bear the brunt since upper management never votes to cut itself – thats where the politicians in cabinet are failing – after all Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas do they.

More than ever the opposition in County Hall needs to keep its eyes open to what is going on in the coming year. Officers continue to run the council whilst Cabinet continue as puppets – or is that Muppets.