Loulé council executive has approved a 2015 budget of almost €102 million, and claims that the lion’s share is budgeted for capital expenditure - €46 million - in addition to significant spending on social services and education.
According to the deputy mayor of Loulé, Hugo Nunes who is responsible for Finance this is a budget notable for "accuracy and transparency” - notable perhaps for the lack of large wodges of budgeted income from the 'sale of council assets' which has been a budget item in past budgets but always has failed to appear.
The ‘Budget and Major Planning Options for Loulé in 2015’ proposal was approved at this week's executive meeting and now will be submitted for approval at the full council assembly.
Loulé’s mayor, Vítor Aleixo, has stuck to his popular plan to reduce council rates bills for householders.
Also he has approved the early settlement of monies owed to the government under the Support Programme for the Local Economy which should go ahead as planned by the year end which,"allows a reduction of debt servicing costs of €9.25 million in the period 2015-2017."
There will be substantial capital investment in 2015, particularly in the refurbishment of the Música Nova building, "that will house the future Conservatório de Música de Loulé the headquarters of the Philharmonic Band, Artistas de Minerva."
Other works planned include the upgrading of the coastal zone between Quarteira and Vilamoura which already is underway, a contribution to the redevelopment of the EB 2, 3 Dom Dinis school in Quarteira, the extension of Avenida Vale do Lobo, Quinta do Lago and the refurbishment of Gama Lobos Palace.
In the budget there will be a repeat of the vote winning Participatory Budget competition where parishes act as centres for resident’s ideas to improve their immediate neighbourhoods. The sum of €503,000 again will be available for eleven winning projects.
Comments
Many councils tried privatising services and made such a hash that the goevrnment has instructed that they be closed down if they have not been in surplus in the last three years.
There was also more than a whiff of corruption, more a stench really, in councils like Tavria (water) Portimao (Urbis)
In the UK there is an element of grant income and central government income that councils can access, so I would not get too distressed that councils here take full advantage of what is on offer - they would be foolish and open to question if they did not.
And following up on Freds question - how much of this municipals spending is on its own staffing ? On Itself ?
Looking at :
Town council expenditure on personnel per capita on
http://www.pordata.pt/en/Municipalities/Search+Environment/Table
shows a consistent upper 300 to lower 400 euros per head of population.
So how many hundreds of employees could Loulé shed and still perform as well ? UK municipals deal with ten times as many population with only twice the staff of a small local Portuguese municipal.
Privatising their direct labour units - also their municipal drivers, mechanics, cleaners. Even their architects ! That sort of thing ... would be a start.
He is almost to good to be true. Perhaps Loule could hire him out to Portimao and other councils that need his sort of expertise.
Either directly or through Lisbon ?
sum of €503,000 again will be available for eleven winning projects ...
The danger with this kind of standard costing is that some good ideas will be only half done, like the many public buildings up and down Portugal that have been built but not staffed. Or only part built / refurbished until more money can be found.
Others will be cheap projects that intentionally over spend with expensive add ons bought from 'favourites' ... or be a green light for fraud !