WestInverness.org.uk

We issued a challenge through the press to local Independent and SNP councillors to justify their voting record on the recent Council budget cuts, asking them to explain why they did not back moves to save key teaching posts, the Council grants to Age Concern and Princess Royal Carers, the Play Development officer, support for children with special educational needs, building and road maintenance and extra flood prevention measures.

I said I was proud of my colleagues who stood firm against this Administration’s cuts, and who all voted for every single one of 18 amendments to the Administration’s budget last week.

Highlighting that we were 100% against the cuts I calculated that 14 Independent and SNP councillors from Inverness had cast 98% of their votes for the cuts, and that support from even half of the SNP and Independent members of the Council would have made a huge difference with the deep cuts in service delivery being avoided.

We also mentioned the marker down to show our serious concern at the level of Council house rents — the increase of 5.3% cannot be repeated year on year.

The Lib Dems had argued at the budget meeting that the Council could be more efficient and that, if it met the 2% efficiency target set for it by the Scottish Government, these cuts would be unnecessary. No-one in the Council’s Independent/SNP Administration has contradicted this though they only came up with efficiency savings of just 1.6%.

Another Lib Dem councillor (Black Isle rep David Alston) has been featuring strongly in the press and in particular on the deletion of the post of play Development Officer who brought in £100k in extra funding for children last year alone. He said: “To cut this work seems madness. We will continue to campaign to retain the post and to save Age Concern and Princess Royal Carers.”

First out of the blocks to fight back against the Council cutbacks are the normally reticent librarians, with a round robin email from 18 school librarians landing in councillors’ in-boxes on the 20th of February. This detailed the effects of the cuts and highlighted the contrast between cutting school library services and the acknowledged need to raise literary standards.

This is just one example of a wide ranging measure being reduced to a bland item in the already sparse full Council budget papers, in this case a two-liner:

27. Library Service
Review support structure for school and community libraries, including deletion of 4 posts

• Saving in 2008–09: 0.098m
• Full year saving: 0.155m

The Administration was sufficiently stung to respond with an email from the Convenor of Education, which notably failed to address the core issue of school library services being drastically cut, and concluded with a plea for “for your support in ensuring that we deliver on our modernising and efficiency agendas”.

It is fair to say that the real effects of the Administration’s cuts are like an iceberg — seven-eights hidden below the water. The next few weeks will no doubt see many more such come to the surface.

• Council tax is frozen at last year’s level — average Band D property pays £1163. Water charges are not frozen so bills will still rise;
• Charges for Council services WERE increased, with burial charges increases of 50% being the most stark example;
• The Independent/SNP administration backed off on cutting teacher numbers in small rural schools;
• Highland Community Care Forum was given a six-month “stay of execution” — the phrase used by the Council Vice-convenor — whilst consultation on its role took place;
• The Administration clearly failed to consult on its proposals, many of which impacted heavily on service users and the voluntary sector;
• Liberal Democrats put down 18 motions in an attempt to protect services such as teaching posts, the Highland’s play development officer, and reducing school cleaning cuts. None were accepted by SNP and Independents;
• Inverness West councillor Alex Graham put down a marker that the Liberal Democrats were concerned about the level of council house rent increases;
• The budget information provided to councillors was greatly reduced from previous years.