Council to make £1m savings
DUMFRIES and Galloway Council has set its budget for the upcoming financial year after a meeting of the full council in Dumfries yesterday.
Councillors from all over the region met in the Council Chambers to thrash out savings of 5.5million to balance the books.
Savings of 1.2 million had been identified prior to yesterday's talks leaving the council with around 3 million to trim from services in the region.
Earmarked for the chop were recycling operations, parent councils, free disabled car parking, funds for community Christmas lights, maintaining the verges of 'C' class roads and a reduction in the tourism budget.
In an election year, all the political parties were treading carefully with their individual budget proposals to achieve the level of savings required without alienating voters.
A hard-hitting report also revealed that the belt tightening would get very much worse in the years ahead as the level of funding from central government is cut to the bone.
The report reads: "It is apparent that the council will be required to identify savings well in excess of current levels over the upcoming period."
The council remains hamstrung over the level of council tax it can charge after receiving nearly 2 million each year for the Scottish Government, but only if council tax rates are frozen.
In the months prior to yesterday's meeting council department have suggested various savings options.
Some of these proposals, like the closure of some Adult Resource Centres in the region were vehemently opposed by the public and quickly taken off the table.
At the time of going to press the final decision on the budget for 2010-11 had not been decided.
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Weather for Newton Stewart
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -0 C to 3 C
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