AS local authorities around Scotland meet to set their budgets, one council in particular has come under fire from its SNP members, trade unionists and the public alike.
Moray Council yesterday set its budget for 2018/19 including budget cuts of £6.6 million. It is estimated around 50 people will lose their jobs.
Ahead of the meeting, protests took place outside the council’s headquarters with trade unionists and members of the public opposing the cuts. Demonstrators presented a Valentine’s Day card signed by local voters to the council’s Conservative-Independent administration.
Among the cuts was the closure or community asset transfer of town halls and community centres across Moray, a move to three-weekly collection of green bins, reduction of public toilet provision and a £1.2 million reduction in funding for Health & Social Care Moray.
For the financial year 2018/19, the roads maintenance budget will be reduced by £500,000, £30,000 funding for the Citizens Advice Bureau will be withdrawn and a management restructure will save £500,000.
In addition Council Tax was increased by three per cent to raise an additional £1.2m. More than £4m from the council’s reserves will be used to balance the budget.
Council leader George Alexander, said: “No councillor wants to make reductions in services but we must balance the budget. I passionately believe that we are doing the best thing. We will do our utmost to make sure the effects of these cuts will be as low as possible.
“We have been listening to the public. Because we have been listening, we still provide services such as public toilets, school crossing patrollers and school librarians, none of which are statutory requirements.”
Cllr Tim Eagle, leader of the Conservatives group, said: “This is not a ‘slash-and-burn’ budget, this is a thought-out budget from an Administration Group which is optimistic about the future of Moray.”
Former Tory councillor Walter Wilson abstained from the vote months after he criticised the “extreme right wing views” of his colleagues.
Graham Leadbitter, co-leader of the SNP group said: “We have no love for Moray’s Tory-Independent Valentine’s Day budget. In this year’s Moray Council budget we have seen a Tory-Independent administration hellbent on the slash and burn of services in Moray and especially our education services.
“Despite having more than 4 million pounds extra than they had planned for they have changed little from their original proposals, which is just inexplicable.
Fellow SNP co-leader Shona Morrison said: “Yet again in this debate we saw as Tory Councillor calling for more money from the Scottish Government while his Tory colleagues in Holyrood are set to vote against additional tax raising which would cut the budget for public services in Scotland by a whopping half a billion pounds.”
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