Redundancies loom in latest council budget cuts 16/2/12
Western Isles Council agreed a strategy for a fresh wave of redundancies when it set its budget last night (wed).
It says it will try and reduce the number of compulsory job losses as it battled a £3.3 million deficit. Its income of £117million is less than its budget of three years ago and half of it is made up of staffing wages and expenses.
Cutbacks mean around 130 staff have departed the council over the past two years meaning its workforce has reduced.
Some 55 staff left their jobs last year on top of the 72 made redundant in 2010. The council has clashed with unions after declaring that forcing workers to depart when departments are restructured is not compulsory redundancy.
A bid by SNP group of councillors to save money by dropping an outstanding Court of Session legal action against the Scottish Government's decision to save a group of island schools failed.
Gerry Macleod wanted to divert £7,500 of solicitor expenses to stop rising charges on the elderly. It would also mean Carloway Primary, and Shawbost and Lionel secondaries on Lewis as well as Seilebost Primary on Harris would remain open.
Last summer education minister Mike Russell said the council ran a flawed consultation fearing it put cash savings before other considerations they are legally obliged to take into account.
Alternatively Philip McLean wanted to stem the care charge increases by taking the money from ward initiative funding.
Councillors applauded when Harris councillor Morag Munro accused the SNP members of grandstanding by presenting a last minute motion.
Later SNP group leader Donald Manford slammed the council for “chosing to spend money on lawyers rather than the elderly.”
The council is currently in discussions with unions over increasing its redundancy payment package to encourage more people to leave voluntarily. To save cash an increasing number of vacant posts are being left unfilled putting more pressure on the remaining staff who also face slashed overtime opportunities and mileage rates.
Council leader Angus Campbell said "very difficult decisions" were made try and lessen the impact of frontline services.
He pointed out that the council aims to encourage local employment by diverting cash into local building works. Some £23 million will be spent on large projects as well as £6 million into improving roads.
Mr Campbell added: "After providing for inflation and unavoidable cost pressures the budget gap we had to address was £3.3million.”
Senior pupils will lose their annual study leave and after-
The council is selling off a number of surplus buildings including primary schools
which were closed due to falling rolls. In contrast the increasing cost of caring
for the elderly, pre-
A “spend to save” efficiency drive is targeted to achieve £1.2million towards the cash strapped budget.
The council is also cutting grants to voluntary and leisure groups including funding for hanging baskets, Christmas lights and pensioners’ events. Removing water coolers will save £35,000 while £75,000 would be cut by tightening up on travel and mileage.
The council is selling off surplus buildings and closed schools to raise cash while commercial waste charges and harbour dues are increasing about 5%.
It also proposes cutting bus services to save about £411,000 a year. It suggests axing some day and evening services Between Stornoway and North Tolsta, Back, Tong, Sandwick, Melbost and Point on Lewis.
It plans to reduce evening buses across rural Lewis including the services which link villages to the main routes which are “generally poorly used." The local authority acknowledges the bus cuts threatens rural communities and could make them "less sustainable."
The worst affected would be youth, late shift workers, evening shoppers and hospital visitors highlights the council. It would also hit "community groups and their customers, (people) reliant on services to access local services such as shops, post offices and health clinics."
Options to reduce services are already been incorporated into the present round of bus tendering and, if the proposed cuts are agreed this year, will be implemented after the main principal bus routes contracts end in March 2014 and 2015.
Angus Campbell added: “Though we have made some hard choices I think we can be proud of the way we have protected services, jobs and the local economy.
“ Over half our budget is staffing and as the biggest employer in the Islands I believe we have a duty to recognise the important role we play in the local economy Once again I was happy to work with the Trade Unions to maintain the Council’s policy of avoiding compulsory redundancies wherever possible.”