Leader's blog - Thursday 7 November

Highlights

• Find out more about the budget
• Find out more about benefits and if you are eligible for any unclaimed welfare benefits or social tariffs on our benefits webpages

Transcript

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to listen to this update.

Gateshead Council, as always, puts the security of our residents above everything else.

OK, Yes, there's been a change of government, but we still remain in a really delicate financial position.

You know that we have high levels of need in Gateshead and the top priority for the council is to ensure that we're supporting our residents.

There have been issues around winter fuel allowances for elderly people and we are using our officers and Citizens Advice Bureau and partners to help and support our residents who are in the most need.

First and foremost, our priority must be to ensure that residents receive the benefits to which they're entitled to.

Fact is in Gateshead £98,000,000 of benefits that people are entitled to go unclaimed.

So we're working really hard with voluntary sector partners to ensure that people take up their benefits.

The second thing that I want to very quickly cover is that, as you many of you will be aware, given the difficult financial position of the council, we've gone through a really difficult review of our leisure services.

We did initially close 2 leisure centres, Birtley and Gateshead Leisure Centre, and thankfully we've managed to work with community groups there to reopen those facilities as independent organisations.

Yes, the buildings still belong to the council, but they are now run by Charitable Trusts which means that they qualify for grants and tax breaks that the council doesn't qualify for.

Recently, Prince William, the heir to the throne, came along and celebrated the opening of Birtley Swimming Pool, the reopening of Birtley Swimming Pool.

The rest of the leisure centres have gone through a procurement exercise to find similar partners, so Dunston Youth, the International Stadium, all the rest of the leisure services that we provide. That procurement process is coming to a conclusion.

We are looking at a contract with an outside provider which will be beneficial to the council because it saves resources that we can divert into other areas but also work with a partner that's experienced in promoting and operating leisure centres and sports facilities.

That's come to an end, although I can't at this stage tell you the precise details of that. There's a report being prepared for cabinet that'll be concluded during November and April next year. We will conclude a contract to ensure the future of leisure centres and the international stadium and the future of Gateshead Football Club for the next 10 years.

OK, Thank you once again for listening and please finally look out for the booklet on benefit entitlement that Gateshead Council has produced and we are currently posting out to all 92,000 properties within Gateshead which will explain precisely what benefits you may be entitled to and ensure you read the booklet and take up your full benefit entitlement.

Thank you.