Salisbury City councillor hits back at Richard Clewer amid budget spat

Independent Salisbury City councillor Annie Riddle, for Harnham West, said the Wiltshire Council leader "doesn’t seriously want back all the unglamorous services" which the council has adopted.

The spat comes after it was revealed that the city council has almost exhausted its reserves after losing more than £800k in two years due to overspending.

Cllr Clewer raised concerns about the city council's financial position and alleged staff "still seem to be in denial about how they have got where they are".

He then suggested the council cut all of its non-statutory commitments and axe staff members in a bid to gain a "long-term saving".

"The administration has not been focused on what it wants to do, it has been trying to do everything. If you don’t control your costs, they escalate and get out of hand control and that is where they have got to," added Cllr Clewer.

Wiltshire Council leader Richard Clewer said Salisbury council staff seem to be in denial about how they have got where they are.

In response, Cllr Riddle said: "Cllr Clewer has stated cynically in the past that our only statutory duty is to maintain our allotments. And now he suggests we should confine ourselves to that.

"But he doesn’t seriously expect the city council to make more than 100 staff redundant.

"And he doesn’t seriously want back all the unglamorous services such as toilet maintenance and street sweeping that Wiltshire so gladly handed over to us to relieve the pressures on their own budget."

Read more: ​Salisbury City Council must 'take ownership of mess' says Wiltshire

Some of the non-statutory commitments the city council has taken from Wiltshire Council include park, cemetery and crematorium maintenance, toilet cleaning, tourist information, free family events, the Charter Market and Guildhall management.

City councillor Annie Riddle has called Cllr Richard Clewer's bluff.

"Suppose we take him at his word and he’s actually happy to take back responsibility for our millions of pounds worth of assets and services. Because someone’s got to do it," added Cllr Riddle.

"Who will be hiking their council tax then, I wonder?"

Asa Thorpe, CEO of Salisbury City Council, previously said his leadership team is "confident of ensuring the financial sustainability of the council in the immediate and medium term".

He added: "A programme of savings, refocusing on the basics, and protecting areas which generate non-council tax income are the priorities for the coming months."