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Cuts affect pupils and the community    14/2/14

 

The council vote to slash budgets and implement savings will see spending reduced on pupils’ books, paper and pencils.

 

A radical shift to create virtual classrooms through e-learning - also called Curriculum Re-design - will see a teacher in one island tutoring students elsewhere via tele-links. Jobs losses and staffing cuts aims to raise £750,000 from the new scheme aimed at secondary pupils.

 

Parents are wary of a separate move agreed to change class hours under the asymmetric week. They fear pupils will have to start 30 minutes earlier daily and be left to roam around Stornoway on Friday afternoons.

 

The council executed a partial u-turn on axing all schools buses to Laxdale School. The £107,000 saving would have forced infants to walk two miles on hazardous roads in the dark. The council agreed to introduce a public bus service on the route for five years and let children pay a fare.

 

Community minibuses will be hit by a £30,000 cut - the second in two years - which affects transport services in many rural districts.

 

Grants for community bodies to look after pubic toilets are reduced.   

 

Introducing a frozen meals at home service for eligible pensioners will save the council £200,000 when implemented.

 

Some £250,000 is to be saved via tougher employment conditions for council workers through less sickness absence, cutting overtime, prior year early retirements and reduced public holiday working.

 

The council plans to relocate its customer services as well as its council tax and benefits section to Stornoway Library.

 

It will also reduce the public opening times and reception service of Sandwick Road council offices.

 

Specialist teachers for gym, music and art for primary pupils will be axed to save £200,000.

Other cuts and savings proposed for Thursday’s budget cuts meetings include:

• £750,000 from job losses by introducing e-learning or curriculum re-design for older secondary pupils.
• £336,000 -  identified from voluntary early retirement of teachers and cuts in education staff numbers coupled with savings coming through from recent school closures
• £100,000 - proposed savings from joint management of new St Brendans hospital and care home. May not be achieved this year.
• £10,000 - Cut support for children with Additional Support Needs
• £20,000 - make Lionel School a satellite of the Nicolson Institute  
• £72,000 - restructuring and job losses in the council’s economic development department
• £35,000 - reduce support to Trust Housing
• £52,000 - better management of sickness absence of overnight support services
• £13,000 - use national contracts for bulk mailing and reduce the volume of mail posted