New Essex County Council leader Cllr David Finch has revealed the authority needs to find at least £215m in savings by 2016/17 in order to deliver services to vulnerable people.
In a speech at County Hall following his ratification yesterday, he said the council had delivered more than £365m in savings.
The newly-announced cabinet of has also agreed to implement a voluntary three per cent cut in allowances for Cabinet Members to be enforced immediately.
READ THE FULL SPEECH BELOWWe will champion excellence in Essex schools and not rest until every Essex school is rated as 'good' or 'outstanding' so our young people can "learn to earn" – equipping them with the skills and education they will need in the world of work.
We will support links between schools, businesses and successful entrepreneurs so our young people can be inspired by success.
We will work to align the provision of skills training in Essex with the skills needs of Essex businesses – and give businesses a greater say and control over that provision.
And we will ensure the best start in life so that children start school at age 5 with the communication and social skills that they will need to succeed in our schools. Our Early Years and pre-school services are crucial in preparing children for school.
Our vision will be achieved by supporting increased employment and entrepreneurship across our county.
We will invest in – and build on – our Economic Growth Strategy, which has already committed £3.5M to support businesses to reach their full potential.
We will lobby for an enterprise zone along the A120 corridor – a corridor that links Stansted Airport in the west with Harwich International Port in the east.
We will influence our local enterprise partnership and central government, using every lever we can to get the best deal for Essex.
And our vision will be achieved by enhancing the infrastructure that supports economic growth.
We are investing in connectivity, whether that's high speed broadband or fixing potholes.
We will look at how our capital programme can invest in key infrastructure projects that support economic growth –and this may mean investing in a smaller number of very significant projects, rather than a large number of small projects.
We will work with our Members of Parliament to make the case for the major infrastructure projects that will really help our economy – major improvements to the A120 and A12; a new Junction 7a on the M11 and improvements to the M25; and, of course, the need for a new Lower Thames Crossing.
We will not shirk the big decisions that face us and we will make sure that Essex voices are heard on the major issues that face the country's aviation, road and rail capacity.
And later this month, Cabinet will receive a report on the introduction of a local authority mortgage scheme to provide much needed facilities for those people trying to get on the property ladder, and in doing so, help to stimulate the housing market.
I believe that our priorities can deliver the innovation and prosperity we need.
But these aims will not be enough on their own.
We must work in partnership.
Not only within these four walls but with District, Borough and City councils as equal partners, with our neighbouring unitary authorities who are rooted in history as part of the Essex family, with our public sector colleagues, especially health, fire and police, and with our large and diverse voluntary and community sector partners.
Our community budgets work to date has shown that by working together in partnership we can save money, reduce demand by improving the way we work with residents across health, crime, skills and community resilience, and can support economic growth.
We will work with partners to keep our communities safe and support them to become more resilient.
We will rise to the challenge of improving public health across Essex because tackling issues like obesity and smoking now will help to reduce costly needs in the long term.
And we will safeguard Essex's environment for future generations.
The biggest threat to our future – to Essex and as a huge challenge the country is facing – is that we need a new approach to care.
The consensus that the current system is no longer sustainable is overwhelming.
Earlier this year we asked Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett to leave no stone unturned in his independent Commission on Health and Social Care in Essex. He will report back to us in the late summer and we must look closely at his recommendations.
The next four years will not be easy.
Demographic change and inflation means the cost of services, especially caring for vulnerable people, are rising.
The economic crisis means the funding local government has to provide services has been drastically reduced.
To resolve that equation will involve some difficult decisions. It will mean us all playing our part in that change.
And today this administration will show a sign of intent with a three per cent cut in cabinet member allowances.
We must live in the real world that the national economic crisis has created.
We must live in a world that forces us to question not only how we do things but sometimes whether we can carry on doing them.
This may be difficult for us as members and for our communities. But we need to be prepared to look at the viability of some services and how we can bring costs down if we are going to be able to live within our financial means.
This administration will not shirk these big decisions but we will also maintain a focus on the economic growth that will support our long-term health.
For the next four years we will continue to work for the people of Essex. We will work hard. We will work fairly. And we will work together.
