Council budget 'realistic' says Hyslop
DUMFRIES and Galloway Councillors agreed a "realistic" budget at a meeting of the full council in Dumfries last Thursday. With savings of £5 million to find, the council decided not to increase the council tax rate, but instead identified savings from corporate and operational management.
From the options which went out to public consultation, these included a 491,000 cut in funding for secondary schools and the axeing of help with community Christmas light displays and community transport grants – amounting to a total saving of 5.132 million.
Extra funding of 737,000 will be provided for roads maintenance in the region in the aftermath of the recent Arctic weather, and there will also be 500,000 provided on a one-off basis for preventative maintenance in school.
The council have also put in place funding of 140,000 for community and flood resilience measures and plan to increase kinship care payments.
To compensate for the withdrawal of festive light and community transport funding, Galloway's communities will now be able to draw on a 200,000 increase in the Civic Pride fund – up from 500,000 to 700,000 – to deal with these issues at a local level.
Speaking after the meeting, Council Leader Ivor Hyslop said: "The council has agreed a budget that is realistic; one that truly balances and does not need any money from reserves to do that – for the first time for many years.
"It is a budget that delivers key council services, that delivers efficiencies, and that gives room to plan and deliver change. In addition, the administration has agreed to work with the SNP to upgrade kinship care payments to 80 a week and to the creation of a regeneration revenue fund in the planning, housing and environment department, including 50,000 for Stranraer."
Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sandra McDowall, said that the administration had rejected the bigger savings proposed for general schools budgets but felt the compromise of 491,000 to adjust staffing levels in secondary schools was fair and still retained some flexibility for head teachers.
She added: "The one-off fund of 500,000 for planned preventative maintenance in schools is important and will be welcomed by schools and parents."
But Labour slammed the budget, calling it "a shambles".
Labour leader Ronnie Nicholson said: "Any member of the public watching the performance of the Tory administration will conclude that this council is a shambles.
"During the debate, the Labour Group proposed that all the groups sit down together and seek to find a joint budget that meets as much of everyone's priorities as possible.
"People are sick and tired of councillors who arrogantly refuse to work together, yet this sensible way forward was rejected.
"What we were left with was a Tory budget which will lead to savage cuts in teacher numbers, a tax on disabled drivers and cuts in community transport – all backed by the SNP.
"The public won't forgive the Tories for introducing a damaging budget that will hit our schools and the most vulnerable in society. And they won't forgive the SNP for selling out and supporting this blow to our region."
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Weather for Newton Stewart
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 0 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 30 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 4 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
