Comhairle suggests council tax rise 29/9/10
The Comhairle may increase council tax in conjunction with cuts in public services and redundancies to help it through its financial crisis.
It says a 2% council tax rise would take in £190,000.
An arm's length body to run sports centres, libraries and museums is also being considered by Western Isles Council.
Transferring the local authority’s leisure services such as swimming pools into a trust could save around £200,000.
Charitable trust status would reduce the cost of rates and VAT says the council.
Cutting opening hours of sporting facilities and libraries is also an option. The council says that it would gain £38,000 if Stornoway library was closed for 10% of the time. Implementing the same at Stornoway sports centre would save another £46,000.
The proposals are part of a large raft of ideas published by the islands’ council as it undertakes a series of public consultation meetings o sound out islanders’ views over where to wield the axe.
The council predicts its budget from the government will be slashed by £5 million annually for the coming years.
The authority is already looking at implementing voluntary redundancies and early retirements for staff.
Council leader Angus Campbell told a public meeting in Stornoway last night (tues) that service cuts were “inevitable.”
School closures, cutting bus services and reduced street cleaning are some areas under the spotlight.
Street lights may be switched off earlier, the community education service risks cuts, and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau network could be given a drop in funding.
Scraping a weekly refuse collection in favour of a fortnightly pick-
The council may reduce housing improvement grants, reduce specialist itinerant teachers for PE, music and other subjects as well as consider cutbacks in the environmental health service.
Closing the council’s remaining four care units is under consideration.
More use of private and independent care homes for old folk would save £217,000.
Charges for school meals may rise by 5% on top of inflation though finance director Robert Emmott acknowledged this could less well off families, particularly with two or three children in school, who would feel they couldn’t afford it.
Young Persons’ Liaison committee member Hayley Macaskill warned that reducing bus services would disadvantage many young people.
She highlighted the lack of an evening bus service was particularly acute in Uist
and Barra where “a lot of young people do not have a bus service after after-
The council says it could save £75,000 by withdrawing its discretionary free school transport and implementing the statutory distances.
Tony Robson said it was important that the council look for savings from within itself when it was asking islanders to bear cuts in public services.
He said: “The council it needs to illustrate how it is going to save (money) itself. Cut out trips to the mainland and cut salaries at the top end.”
He suggested high earners in the council should take a 10% pay cut.