Tell us how to cut our budget by £13 million

Published 21 Jul 2010 11:54 12 Comments

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Council chief executive Angela Leitch

WEE County residents are being asked to put their thinking caps on as the local authority seeks to plug a £13 million gap in finances over the next three years.

It comes as the Scottish Government is expected to slash the public sector budget by 12-20 per cent after deferring its £332m share of this year's UK-wide spending cuts announced by Chancellor George Osborne to next April.

Council officers estimate that Clackmannanshire will need to save at least £13m between 2011 and 2014.

However this figure is based on a 12 per cent decrease - and a three-year council tax freeze - and could rise considerably if government cuts are deeper.

A growing elderly population, decrease in school-leavers due to lack of jobs, and the refurbishment of 13 primary schools planned for next year are expected to put a strain on public spending.

However the council remains committed to starting a house building programme and priorities set out in the Corporate Plan and the Single Outcome Agreement.

Chief executive Angela Leitch claims it is not all "doom and gloom" but rather a chance to "do things differently".

In an effort to prepare for the challenging times ahead senior council officials are consulting with trade unions, residents and councillors six months before setting the 2011/12 budget.

Questionnaires will be available in council buildings and online detailing possible efficiency savings and calling on suggestions. The issue will also be discussed at public events.

Potential savings could come from the sale of property - £2.5m has been mooted - making staff work remotely or incorporating them in to the council's main premises of Greenfield, Lime Tree or Kilncraigs. The plug could also be pulled on several projects that form the £36.8m five-year capital programme.

However Ms Leitch told the Advertiser the savings set down in the leaflet are "suggestions, nothing more".

She said, "We need to gather opinions and give a range of options to councillors. We can anticipate what savings can be made but ultimately it will be them that will make the decision. It's not all doom and gloom but an opportunity to look at creatively and efficiently delivering public services in a different way."

The consultation will consider using the private and voluntary sector to deliver services, sharing services with neighbouring local authorities - already the council works jointly with Stirling in departments such as Trading Standards - and partnering with public bodies.

She added, "Thanks to the efforts of our workforce we begin this period of far-reaching change from a strong position, with the structure and capacity in place to tackle whatever lies ahead. The council's performance has been praised by independent watchdogs and our latest residents' survey shows that 90 per cent find Clackmannanshire a satisfying place to live.

"A minimum reduction of 12 per cent in our finances means that 'business as usual' is not an option. We have to look at doing things differently, stopping some services and charging for others. As we plan for the future, it's important that people of Clackmannanshire share their views with us about what they think our priorities should be."

The council's total revenue budget for 2010/11 for all services excluding housing amounts to £119.2m, funded from government grants of £97.6m and £21.6m from council tax.

Council leader Janet Cadenhead added, "We would like to encourage everyone to take the opportunity to have their say on this vital issue. We have a timetable planned for the discussion process and as we receive feedback we will keep you updated on the information we have received and how it's likely to shape our decisions. We'll also have regular updates for staff and trade unions as the engagement process evolves."

The leaflet will be available at council buildings including libraries. Detailed information will be available on ClacksWeb and a new dedicated email address (lookabootye@clacks.gov.uk) has been set up to receive comments.

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

rosstaylor
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Jul 21, 18:51
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Sell the statues in the middle of the roundabouts for scrap.

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Thinking_Pod
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Jul 23, 03:24
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We can start by cutting Angela Leitch's salary. I'm sure if she wants cuts she'll not bother about a reduction in her own salary.

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Thinking_Pod
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Jul 23, 03:25
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We can start by cutting Angela Leitch's salary. I'm sure if she wants cuts she'll not bother about a reduction in her own salary. Will she?

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ThinkingPod
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Jul 23, 03:25
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We can start by cutting Angela Leitch's salary. I'm sure if she wants cuts she'll not bother about a reduction in her own salary. Will she?

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Bill
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Jul 29, 18:41
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Why don't they start by shutting down 2 of the 3 schools that Sauchie/Fishcross enjoys? To have 3 primary schools all within about half a mile of each other is ridiculous! Also, it's about time the Council had the balls to look pragmatically at other buildings such as Sauchie nursery which costs a fortune to run.

Inevitably what happens is, any proposals based on common-sense, have an unwarranted dimension known as 'Local Councillor Input', i.e. a few years back, a former Chief Executive at the council, called for Sauchie Nursery school to be closed because of the age, running costs etc of the building. What happened? The local Councillors stepped in to stop any closure plans, NOT for pragmatic economic reaons, but because such a move would have been a huge VOTE LOSER for them!!

If the Council is desperate to save money, it is now time to stop th eparty political posturing and for ALL of the councillors, whatever hue they may be, to take the difficult decisions.

One thing that always amazes me, is the way the Council structures itself. Why for example does it need a Chief executive and team of directors, who, let's face it, are merely mouthpieces of the elected members and employed to do their (Councillors) bidding for them.

Why not have an administration committee, made up of say 5 or 6 senior officers and say a councillor representing each of the political parties? That way, all decisions could be taken with sense of transparency and instil a sense of political agreement rather than the Ya-Boo politics we currently have to endure.

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rosstaylor
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Jul 31, 00:47
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As we are such a Wee County, surely there are ways that we could share some back office functions with our bigger neighbours?

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Collie
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Aug 3, 14:37
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It would make sense to combine services with neighbours enabling large savings in office & staff.In fact small is not always beautiful. All you see on the road are council vans,surely a saving could be made in reducing them.One person in a van is not 'green' .Maintenance staff could be dropped off ,rather than all having a van.

Gartmorn dam fishing is another waste,it is stocked at a cost , poached day & night.Revert to

free fishing for all 12 months a year to allow for Pike fishing & save on policing costs.

How much has been wasted on traffic calming in Alloa,it only works for private motorists,taxis buses,white vans ignore it. Outside schools is fine not every road in town.

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rosstaylor
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Aug 6, 16:37
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We have 3 big secondary schools in the county which are like Ghost towns after 6pm. Why don't we use the facilities available to make up the deficit?

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rosstaylor
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Aug 6, 16:39
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....... and why don't we have a full breakdown of councillors expenses while we're at it?

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redhopi
28 posts
Aug 11, 22:04
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As councillors already get a 'stipend', why should they rake in more money by being paid for every committee they sit on? No wonder there is a rush to get on committees. Cut out the committee fee, and then we will see how many genuinely dedicated councillors there are.

Another way to cut some costs is to cancel the 'aren't we a truly wonderful, magnificient council' newsletter posted to residents. This is a total waste of taxpayers' money, and doesn't say anything that cannot be reported in the local newspapers.

On the subject, we keep hearing from the council that there is 'an influx of visitors brought in by the new pavements and statues'. Where are all these visitors? Is someone hiding them during daylight hours? Or, is the influx caused by certain council staff getting their pictures taken by those hideous statues?

Surely there should be someone totally independent of the council to check all expense claims whether councillors or council staff. All claims must be accountable and justifiable, and those not deemed so should be paid out of staff and councillors' pockets; that way, a lot of superfluous claims will be cancelled.

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rosstaylor
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Aug 13, 11:06
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I agree with redhopi on the newsletter. Why???????????????????????????????

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jenny
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Sep 4, 18:13
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get rid of the big wigs at the top who do nothing to help ordinary people and sit on the fat lazys thinking up new ways to get money out of people who are struggling to make ends meet as it is

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