Cautious Calvert's last stand
Published 3 Feb 2012 09:30
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TWEEDDALE Councillor Neil Calvert has admitted this year's council budget is not as ambitious as he would like it to be.
Scottish Borders Council's Executive Member for Finance this week outlined the ruling administration budget proposals for the coming financial year.
It was his ninth and final budget. - the West Linton councillor confirmed he would not be standing for re-election in May.
Highlights in the budget include cash for the new primary school at West Linton (£7.5million), and the new sports facilities at Peebles High School (£3.9million).
The final budget, totalling around £264million, will be presented by councillors at the full meeting of the council on Thursday, February 9.
Speaking to the Peeblesshire News this week, Councillor Calvert said: "We are endeavouring to maintain our services, improve our services and be able to continue to provide these services in the future."
Around 42 jobs are also expected to be cut at the region's largest employer.
However, despite being forced to find £2.5million of savings, the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Independent-run authority, which has already agreed to keep council tax frozen, has promised more investment in roads, schools and children's services.
Scottish Borders Council leader David Parker said: "It's been a challenging year as always to ensure that we deliver a balanced budget but we've done that and been able to invest in key frontline services and I think that's quite important.
"We've made around £2.5million of savings across the different parts of the council this year, most of which have been dealt with by efficiences. We have very few budget cuts and actually quite a lot of investment in roads, in our children, where we will be spending an additional £1million, and also the fabric of our school buildings.
"And I think the Borders public will be quite pleased with the results we have been able to deliver."
The Scottish government announced the funding available to councils in September last year.
Councillor Parker said at the time that he believed it was a "challenging" but "fair" budget.
Last year, the authority accepted 176 voluntary redundancy requests, as part of its efforts to cut costs.
Other measures included reducing cleaning in council offices and schools, trimming the amount in the budget for tourism agency VisitScotland, and switching off all heating in council offices over the summer months.
This year, as well as further reductions in its workforce through the use of early retirement/voluntary severance, the local authority is also counting on savings from the library and contact centre review, the sale of redundant properties and reduced staff training costs to help balance the books.
Councillor Parker said: "Around 42 staff will probably leave the council through voluntary severance and early retirement. We aren't looking at any compulsory redundancies. We have been working with our staff to make sure that doesn't happen."
But he added: "Some people are volunteering now not to be here and if that is the case we won't necessarily fill those roles. And we are managing roles very carefully so when we get vacancies we are asking ourselves the question do we need to fill those roles or could we deliver that job in a different way?"
Highlights of the 2012/13 revenue budget plans include: No council tax increase for the 5th successive year; No compulsory redundancies; Pupil-teacher ratios in P1-3 maintained; Additional support of £1.1m for looked after children through the Integrated Children's Services; Additional investment of £0.4m in the region's road network; Investment of £0.2m in the fabric of school classrooms; and policing levels protected with no reductions in SBC funding to Lothian and Borders Police.
Councillors have largely welcomed the budget.
However, one councillor has questioned the need for a £40,000 budget to help local communities stage parties to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations at a time when respite care for some of the region's most vulnerable families is being capped at four weeks to save £48,000.
Councillor Calvert, added: "As in the previous four years of this Administration we have sought to produce a balanced budget which in the face of decreasing funding has endeavoured to meet demographic demands as well as minimising any negative impact on services.
"Indeed many of our services are being delivered much more effectively and efficiently as a result of successive service reviews. Most importantly we continue to do so without any increase in council tax."
This article appeared in Peeblesshire News 03 Feb 12
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