That's the message from Peter Jones, Leader of the County Council as the authority sets out its priorities for the year ahead, against a backdrop of severe financial cuts in the public sector.
Speaking at a recent County Council meeting held at County Hall in Lewes, Councillor Jones said: “We've looked very carefully at our financial situation and we believe we're going to have to save in the region of £60m over the next three years. We'll continue to be relentless in our approach to managing taxpayers' money and aim to be better, smarter and more cost effective.
“Looking at what we can do together with our partners will be important. We're working with seven of the leading councils in the South East (SE7) to look at the potential for savings and improvements to services and we're also working much more closely with health colleagues locally.”
Councillor Jones also highlighted support for primary education as a top issue for the Council. He said: “We want to help improve primary education, especially in rural areas, working in collaboration with our partners in the whole school community.
“Our overwhelming focus will be continuing the sound financial management of the last few years”, added Councillor Jones. “This has enabled us to save millions of pounds of taxpayers' money and at the same time deliver the services that our residents need.”
Further information
SE7 is made up of:
- East Sussex County Council
- Brighton & Hove City Council
- Hampshire County Council
- Kent County Council
- Medway Council
- Surrey County Council
- West Sussex County Council.
Between them they cover a population of 5.3 million people and are responsible for net budgets worth £3.4 billion per annum. They have formally signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding'.
Reference:
2825
Contact the press team
East Sussex County Council