Upbeat message as SIC approves budget
HUGE spending cutbacks will enable the SIC to reduce the amount of money it takes from its oil reserves to less than £15 million in the next financial year.
As members of the full council waved through an overall £109 million budget for 2014/15, political leader Gary Robinson said that if it can be delivered “the worst will be behind us”.
There was little discussion of specific measures contained within a package that will see £6.5 million of cuts – a six per cent drop in SIC spending on 2013/14.
“There should be nothing new to members in what’s being proposed,” Robinson said on Wednesday.
“We’re building on work and decisions already taken.”
He told members that only £7.9 million of the draw on reserves was recurring spending – compared to almost £30 million two years ago.
“This shows the distance that the council has come,” Robinson said,” but there’s still more work to be done.
“Further savings will be needed [up to 2017] but if the 2014/15 budget is delivered it’s fair to say the worst will be behind us.”
Spending on education and social care is being protected – each facing a cut of two per cent.
That means the children’s services budget will drop by £833,000 to £40.4 million, while in community care – where there have been well-publicised difficulties making cuts, partly due to a huge increase in staff numbers – spending will drop by £410,000 to £20.1 million.
The highest share of cuts will come from the development department (13 per cent, equating to £1.8 million), infrastructure services (11.6 per cent, amounting to £2.5 million) and corporate services (eight per cent, meaning a reduction of £950,000).
“Of course this is a challenging time of reducing budgets,” Robinson said, “but I think we are really targeting our resources in the areas that they really need to be.”
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Spending on capital projects has shrunk in recent years and is now focused on maintaining existing buildings and infrastructure.
The only major new projects being undertaken are the Anderson High School, for which the council is looking to borrow, and for broadband infrastructure.
In line with the Scottish Government’s wishes, council tax rates will be frozen for the seventh year in succession.
A “band D” property will incur an annual charge of £1,053 – which Robinson said meant the SIC “continues to charge the fourth lowest level of council tax, whilst providing the best funded services”.
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