Councillors vote for £5 millon budget cuts 17/2/11
Cuts of £5.1 million has been made to public services as Western Isles Council set its budget today.
So far, some 60 council staff have opted for voluntary redundancy or early retirement as the drive to slash costs continues.
The council faces a £24.5 million blackhole over the coming four years and its hoped this year’s cuts will create savings over the period.
The council promised to examine cutting down spending on consultants and waste services, use less energy, improve the losses by its own trading operations and cut the use of overtime.
Councillors voted to shut Iochdar care unit, reduce opening hours at libraries and sport centres while cuts are being made in bus services and street cleaning.
The lifeline Barra air service was saved for two years with roads’ and resources budgets raided to help find the required £222,000.
The council is also axing evening buses from Carloway and Ness on Lewis. On Fridays
only, it will cut the 6.15pm run to Stornoway from Ness as well as the service which
leaves Carloway around the same time. There is an alternative bus running about an
hour later. Other weekday runs at that time are not affected.
It is proposed to cut
weekly refuse collections in Stornoway to a fortnightly rota, stop the dog fouling
bins service though a voluntary group may take over and make businesses pay 5% more
to get commercial waste collected.
There is a risk of fly tipping if a planned £20 charge is imposed on the free bulky waste uplift service.
Some £7 million will be ploughed into upgrading buildings and roads under a strategy to stop the infrastructure crumbling, create jobs locally, and reduce wasting money on repairs in the long term.
The rising cost of caring for the aging population has increased by £327,000 which includes more hours for home helps.
All Primary One pupils will no longer automatically get free schools meals though some will be entitled if they apply.
The islands’ Band D Council tax level was set at £1024 and remains the lowest in Scotland.
The council took a swipe at the Scottish Government for effectively landing it with an extra £1 million annual burden to keep a raft of schools open. Last month education minister Mike Russell reversed plans to shut four schools the council maintain are too expensive to run.
Council leader Angus Campbell urged MSP Alasdair Allan fight the Scottish Government to cover the costs.
Understood to be referring to Labour and SNP parliamentarians who lobbied to retain the Barra plane and the schools, he also criticised those who made such demands but refused to identify where the money would come from.
He pointed out that, unlike the campaigning politicians, people across the islands acknowledged the council’s difficulties and recognised that spending money in one place meant taking it away from another service.
Though the cuts are swingeing, there were no last minute shocks for the public as the council had embarked on a consultation exercise, for the first time, a year ago.
Mr Campbell said: “This budget has been the most challenging that we have had to address during my time with the Council.
“Importantly, it is a balanced budget and whilst it contains some difficult service choices it protects economic development, includes growth in community care and provides for investment in roads and buildings.
He added: “Thanks are due to all those individuals and organizations who have engaged constructively through our consultation meetings.