Helsby councillor Les Ford presents first budget for new Cheshire West and Chester Council

Feb 27 2009 by David Norbury, Chester Chronicle

ALMOST 40 years after he first became a councillor with a faraway urban district council, Cllr Les Ford (Con, Frodsham & Helsby) has made history.

Yesterday saw him present the first budget of the new Cheshire West and Chester Council where he is both deputy leader and finance portfolio holder.

The council will replace Cheshire County Council, Chester City Council and Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal borough councils on April 1.

Apart from protecting front line services and delivering almost £30m of savings, the budget, with an average council tax rise of 1.6%, is the financial start line for the new authority to become a flagship unitary council within two years.

Its details were revealed to a meeting of the Conservative controlled council’s executive in a 62 page report by the authority’s new director of resources, Julie Gill.

Cllr Ford treated his colleagues to a 20-minute insight into the facts and figures, during which Mrs Gill found time for only a few words of financial advice in between keeping the show on the road by calling out which page and which paragraph she believed Cllr Ford was referring to.

Key points in the budget flowed like a torrent from Cllr Ford’s desk as he deftly flicked through his file.

He pointed out the package was “transitional” although it was “sufficiently robust to ensure the continuity of services.”

He revealed it is to be kept on course by a seemingly alarming “star chamber process” which turns out to be regular meetings between the council's top councillors and directors.

Having told his colleagues that “costs must be fully aligned to priorities” he accepted “there are financial risks” before adding: “These are the best estimates by the best people we have.”

He suggested, however, the figures include “more risk than is traditional”. Cllr Myles Hogg (Con, Ledsham & Willaston) believed the executive should congratulate Cllr Ford, a professor, on his presentation.

A glimpse of Cllr Ford’s CV reveals his financial skills were honed at ICI, where he spent 26 years, ending up in research management.

He was elected to Vale Royal Borough Council in 1999, becoming finance chief in 2004 and leader in 2007.

At a recent Press conference he revealed his frustration at the amount of red tape surrounding some Government grants, which he argues prevents councils from making the best use of them.