Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser | News | Quality services will continue, insists council leader

Sunday, 7th September, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 12th March, 2008 10:00

Quality services will continue, insists council leader

By Nicola Findlay

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Conservative councillor Alastair Campbell's vote was crucial in the approval of Labour's budget proposals.

CLACKMANNANSHIRE’S councillors have voted to confirm a freeze on council tax in the coming financial year.

The Wee County was the final local authority in Scotland to accept the Scottish Government’s deal of additional money in return for no increase in Council Tax, with councillors eventually agreeing a budget at a special meeting last Wednesday.

A previous budget meeting was postponed following objections from the council’s Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Independent councillors, who called for more time to analyse proposals put forward by Labour and the SNP.

The council tax freeze will mean residents in a band D property will continue to pay £1148 per year.

However, overall bills will still rise as water and sewerage charges, which are set by Scottish Water, will increase by 3.74 per cent – and this is collected along with the council tax.

A revised Labour budget was approved with the support of Conservative councillor Alastair Campbell and the casting vote of Provost Derek Stewart.

Council leader Janet Cadenhead said that the budget would allow money to be spent where it was needed most and that cuts in frontline services would be avoided.

She said, “With this tight budget, we are redistributing spending to the areas where it is most needed. I’m confident that our dedicated staff will continue to provide high quality services.

“Over the next three years, we expect to realise some savings from the asset management review, putting these to good use in regeneration projects and in Alloa town centre.”

The budget includes an extra £5.5 million on child protection services with the provision of two extra social workers, looking after children in care and specialist care for people with autism and other learning disabilities.

Charges for the MECS alarm scheme for the elderly and the vulnerable will not be introduced, the school breakfast scheme at Sunnyside Primary will be expanded throughout the county and music instruction in the county’s secondary schools will be retained.

Historic victory

The SNP claimed a “historic victory” over the minority Labour administration, insisting they had forced a number of concessions.

But SNP leader, Councillor Donald Balsillie, added, “I am disappointed that the Labour party did not see fit to support an SNP budget which would have saved the administration £1.5 million but still protected frontline services.

“It’s unfortunate that we are still suffering fallout from Labour’s three PPP schools, as the £1million overspend on unbudgeted consultants’ fees has had a cumulative and damaging effect on our council reserves.

“However, I am pleased we managed to reign in the more excessive cuts in the Labour budget and the additional £412,000 that we found for them has meant the elderly and infirm will not have to pay £104 a year for their MECS alarm system – a vital lifeline for many.”

Liberal Democrat Councillor, John Biggam, voted in favour of the SNP budget saying that although he had concerns, he felt Labour’s proposals would still take away from the most vulnerable in society.

He said, “As to the proposed savings by Labour I feel a strange sensation of an upside down world. Labour is supposed to be the caring party which redistributes wealth to the disadvantaged members of society. No more. We have seen this trickling down from the top.

“And now, the last thing I expected has happened. Labour are proposing to take away from the poorest members of society.”

Councillor Craig Holden also voted against the Labour budget but abstained from voting for the SNP as he believed there were still too many cuts which would hit the most vulnerable in society.

However, he added that the SNP should be commended for putting together an alternative budget, which was effectively helping Labour to “dig themselves out of a hole”.

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