Council spending - have YOUR say

Cunningsburgh Hall - 26 October

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Around 50 people shared their views last night on how the Council should go about saving £26 million over the next two years.

A range of both old and new ideas were discussed at the meeting in the Cunningsburgh Hall, which was led by Councillors Josie Simpson and Alistair Cooper, alongside Director’s Helen Budge and Phil Crossland from the Council’s Corporate Management Team.

The session began with a concise presentation on the circumstances behind the authority’s current financial situation. The public were then asked to share their opinions on how savings should be made and which services should be prioritised as the Council seeks to balance its books over the coming years.

The need to put education and social care first was a recurring theme. One Sandwick resident encouraged elected members to look toward other rural areas in Scotland that attain good educational results more efficiently and with less money. Instrumental tuition was the focus for another comment, which stressed the need for a more strategic approach to providing musical instruction for Shetland’s young people.

On care, a successful pilot scheme in Unst was highlighted as a positive example of how savings can be made by delivering more home-based services, rather than focusing on care homes. Another commenter suggested that the Council invite youth club committees to get together to discuss ideas for savings in their sector.

Infrastructure formed the focus of several comments, with two people saying the authority must stop thinking that it has to provide everything to a ‘Rolls Royce standard’. Instead, they suggested money would be saved by buying ‘adequate’ assets, rather than those that are top-of-the-line.

Council vehicles then came under the spotlight, with questions raised on how many are in use; how their use is monitored; and how much they cost to run and maintain. Officials confirmed that these questions are being looked at under a review of the fleet, adding that a second study is also evaluating Council assets, such as offices and associated buildings.

Concerns were raised about the potential impact that cutbacks could have on the local economy, specifically the ability of the private sector to ease the impact of any Council job losses. Councillors and officials responded, saying the issue will be taken into account as part of an economic assessment soon to begin by staff from the University of Aberdeen.

A related comment asked whether the Council should look more seriously at inviting private companies to offer certain services. Asset and housing maintenance, for example, could be transferred to private contractors, which would both support the local economy by providing employment and bring down costs through competitive tendering. Another commenter asked if it might be time to look at whether savings could be found by sharing some services with other local authorities, such as Orkney.

Throughout the meeting people were amiable and responsive to each other’s opinions, a point noted by several attendees and echoed by Councillor Cooper as he closed the session by thanking everyone for coming along and taking part.

Written by Jordan Ogg.

Click here for a full transcript of the meeting

 

If you have a savings suggestion for the council please email: savings@shetland.gov.uk

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