Sir,
I shall, at the risk of boring everyone for a third time, repeat myself. The time taken to settle the matter of the future of the mobile library service has been excessively, embarrassingly, unacceptably, protracted. I have taken it upon myself (I’m pretty sure we, elected members, all feel the same way) to apologise, on behalf of the comhairle, for the delay.
I have stated that “the general concepts are now mapped out, and the options which will articulate these will be in the full options appraisal at the series next month. Then we get to determine the future.” Not ‘Norrie speak’: that’s ‘official.’
The budget board, of which Alasdair Macleod, John Mitchell (previous letters) and I are members, meet on the 22nd of August and expect an announcement then.
Archie Harper (letters ad infinitum) seems to have difficulty understanding this. He claims that I “appear to suggest” when I state the case transparently “that Point councillors are not committed” when nothing (as demonstrated) could be further from the truth.
Then he goes on to obfuscate about ‘waste’ asking if I’ve “discussed with the council leader, Roddie Mackay, or does he (I) need to highlight it to Audit Scotland?”
Can the people of Sgìre an Rubha ask questions of their elected members? Of course they can. By phone, email, letter, text, pigeon or in person. The ‘old fashioned’ way.
I, as well as I’m sure Alasdair MacLeod and Finlay Stewart do too, as his elected representatives, welcome any, and all, enquiries. That is, after all, a very important part of what we were elected to do.
In over a year as a councillor, Mr Harper has ventured to question us only on the
matter of the library service, and only (I’m guessing) after I suggested that the
proposal to ‘replace the vans now’ had been ill-
Yes, I did say that I believed excessive bureaucracy was behind the delay, but at no time did I attempt to deflect the blame onto council officers and officials.
Archie offered those of us without a dictionary four definitions of bureaucracy, then chose the one that suited his narrative. He then goes on to state “ccontrary to what Councillor Macdonald would have us believe, there are at least two very detailed reports written on mobile library service.” When did I suggest anything at all to the ‘contrary?’
When it comes to any ‘waste ‘ as a result of any ‘problem with bureaucracy,’ he possibly doesn’t realise that this council has, proportionately, suffered more job losses than any other in Scotland, with the exception of Shetland, as a result of cuts to its budget.
Since 2010/11 we have had to ‘shed’ 277 full time equivalent posts, roughly equivalent to 400 individuals. This equates to approximately 17% of the workforce. Across Scotland, there has been roughly a 7% reduction in local government employees.
If ‘council tax payers are going to having to pay bigger bills,’ then Archie very
well knows that it isn’t ‘a problem with bureaucracy’ that might be to blame. Smoke
and mirrors. Still, Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar, as I’m slowly finding out in my dealings
with bodies from all over Scotland, is being held up as a ‘model’ (in very many instances)
of good practice, prudence, and solid delivery of services against ever-
Every single one of its elected members, SNP, Tory and independent, can, by realising what is possible when we use our collective nous, continue to deliver, even in these increasingly challenging times.
I have learned a lot in my short time as a councillor, much of it very eye-
I do not wear rose-
If he has the questions, then the answers are, surely, within. I’m going to draw a line under this matter; there’s no point continuing to debate with someone who refuses to hear what it is I’ve been trying to state, as plainly as I can, for over a week now.
Norrie MacDonald
Councillor
Sgìre an Rubha
Letter: Future of library van service
18 August 2018