CASH-STRAPPED Scottish Borders Council has delivered a staggering £84.5m of savings over the last decade – but much more needs to follow in the years ahead.
Members of the council’s decision-making Executive Committee considered sobering financial reports when they met on Tuesday, June 11.
The last year has been particularly challenging for the local authority, with significant inflationary pressures, increased costs for out-of-area placements for children and home-to-school transport, and increased agency costs in adult social care.
Members were informed that in the last 10 years a total of £84.5m in savings had been achieved but further significant savings were needed over the coming financial years.
Despite the council agreeing to dip into its reserves earlier in the year, an estimated £4.4m in savings will be required in 2024/25.
Councillor John Greenwell asked: “Are we close to saying we can’t find any more savings? Are we so close to the bone now that we can’t make any more savings?”
In response, Suzy Douglas, director of finance and procurement, said: “Unfortunately, the position we are in is that we will continue to be required to make savings in order to balance the budget, that is why the council’s transformation programme is so crucial.
“I would absolutely agree that following delivery of £84.5m it is becoming more and more difficult to deliver savings and all of the easier options have been taken.
“That’s why the council’s transformation programme is so crucial in terms of planning out what service change we can look at going forward to ensure the council does remain financially sustainable, so that it includes everything from maximising income to looking at what services we need to prioritise, those we need to deliver from a legal perspective.
“We are looking at different ways of doing things so we know that digital is the way the council will deliver transformational change and be able to deliver services in a more modern way, so less resources are required. It’s going to be a whole combination and range of options.”
Councillor Robin Tatler added: “The stark reality is that we have to do it all again and this is a major challenge.
“There are £5m of savings we made in the last financial year that are only temporary so we’ve got to do that again next year, on top of all the other pressures that we have and it’s absolutely changing the way the council operates and having that conversation with the public to understand what we do, what are our statutory obligations, what we have to do and what we would like to do and about making choices between those two things.”
Council leader Euan Jardine said: “We don’t just collect the bins, we don’t just cut the grass. We deliver social care, we deliver education, there is a whole iceberg of things that the council does for our communities. We are the key to unlocking everything and if there is an emergency, the council is there. If there is an issue, the council is there.
“What we have been able to do in delivering the budget is outstanding in very difficult times for local government nationally but it is only the tip of continued change and transformation.”
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