GR Direct - Sony - Save up to £500
Saturday 26 July 2025
 14.1°C   SW Moderate Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Coronavirus / No commitment yet from government on covering additional Covid-19 cost, SIC leader says

Shetland Islands Council leader Steven Coutts. Photo: Shetland News

SHETLAND Islands Council (SIC) political leader Steven Coutts says the local authority will continue to press the Scottish Government on securing funding to cover the additional costs of Covid-19.

He said the effects of the pandemic are “going to have a significant impact on the council and the wider community”.

Finance manager Jamie Manson told a meeting of the council’s policy and resources committee on Monday that the net additional cost to the SIC resulting from Covid-19 in the first quarter of 2020/21 was £718,000.

It is estimated to be £2.12 million by the end of the financial year, and this includes the consequence of deferring into next year certain works unable to be carried out.

The figure is a melting pot of extra spend, lost income and savings from services not running.

A key area of this is children’s services, which is projected for an overspend of nearly £1.4 million by the end of the financial year – with day cleaners in schools, for example, accounting for £328,000 of this.

Manson told councillors that the assumptions through to the end of the year were based on the Scottish Government’s route map out of lockdown, with guidance often changing.

His report to the committee added: “The council is actively monitoring the financial pressures faced, including lost income, and is working with COSLA and other local authorities to secure additional government funding to meet those pressures.”

Councillor George Smith asked if the Scottish Government has given any commitment to fully fund the additional costs resulting from Covid-19.

“The short answer is they have not,” Coutts replied concisely.

The leader said the council had already set a challenging budget earlier in the year before Covid struck.

He expressed his desire for the SIC to continue to impress on the government for the need for financial assistance, adding that the council had “very limited” powers to generate income itself.

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 

Sign up
for our Newsletters

Stay in the loop with newsletters tailored to your interests. Whether you're looking for daily updates, weekly highlights, or updates on jobs or property, you can choose exactly what you want to receive.

Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.