Contact newsdesk on:  info@hebridesnews.co.uk

Classified adverts   I   Jobs                               

 Local Services     

 

Hebrides News

The Comhairle is to debate a series of cuts and savings to try and find over £9 million to maintain services for the next three years.

 

It faces an immediate £3.7 million funding gap due to a reduction of £1.6 m of central government funding.

 

A further round of savings of £5.4 million are required to the end of March 2018.

 

Inflation, including rising wage bills, will cost the council an extra £1.3m this coming financial year.

 

It also has to pay £400,000 more for staff pensions.

 

One financial blow is a significant overspend in the social work department at present.

 

Much of it is caused by increasing demand for services, particularly with the soaring number of older people needing care.

On the cards is a series of redundancies and early retirements.

 

A budget report highlights the risk of compulsory job losses, though, publicly, the council always that is something they avoid.

 

Restructuring some council departments will mean a number of posts will go.

 

An estimated over 200 council positions have vanished in the last three or so years including early retirement, vacancies which are not filled as well as redundancies.

 

Council finance director Robert Emmott said that long term financial projections - drawing on census figures, population projections and costs estimates “shows that around £5.4 million of savings will be needed across 2016-18.”

 

In future years, “savings will continue to be required” to tackle the rising impact inflation.

 

Mr Emmott recommends the council deal with an one-off budget for this year and waits for the outcome of the General Election and the next UK spending review before firming a strategy to tackle future cuts.

 

Cuts loom as Comhairle faces £9 million black hole

29 January 2015