SNP councillors to vote to maintain essential front line services 22/1/13
The Comhairle’s SNP Group has reaffirmed its pledge to put forward motions which would maintain essential front line public services.
The full council will vote on the final cuts at a budget meeting on 14th February.
SNP Cllr Rae Mackenzie said the SNP group seeks to maintain funding for itinerant specialist teachers, community transport, Penumbra, Action for Children, and council trade union representation. In addition it says saving the air service to Barra is important.
Mr Mackenzie said: “We've listened to the concerns raised by the public at the various meetings and in correspondence received.”
Cllr Philip McLean commented: “It’s interesting to note that the cuts required to be made have dropped from £6.15 million in November to £4.885 million in January.
“If that can happen in a matter of weeks a lot more work can be done to reduce the cuts further. As stated last November, we would do this by spending the BCCI dividend over the next two years rather than over the five years lifetime of the Comhairle proposed by the administration, and we would also dig deeper into the Comhairle’s contingency fund.”
On the matter of itinerant specialist teachers Cllr Gordon Murray pointed out: “Having listened to the public in both sets of consultations, the SNP Group welcome the fact that the public are in agreement with their bid to retain the specialist teacher provision.
“We have been consistently against the withdrawal of the specialist teachers since the cut was offered to us by the Education department.
“Specialist teachers are pivotal, not only in the schools but also in the community and withdrawing their expertise from the schools would be detrimental to the education of our young.
“We agree with the strength of feeling from the community particularly when head teachers and teaching staff, parents, and children are all united in their concerns about the future of education in the islands.”