Picture: Daniel Forsyth. Image No.
GOLLACHY recycling centre, public toilets and two local libraries are set to number among the Buckie area casualties as Moray Council seeks to trim £14.8 million from its £214 million budget. The full scale of the cuts needed to balance the books when the local authority sets its 2019-20 budget on February 27 were laid bare at a meeting of the full council last Wednesday. These follow on from a package of savings amounting to £5 million agreed last year. Speaking after the meeting, SNP council leader Councillor Graham Leadbitter said: “Austerity budgeting from Westminster is a major contributor to these issues, as was the decision by the Tories to abandon the council administration.” Buckie SNP Councillor Sonya Warren (below) said the minority council administration had been left with only a few months in charge to try and find a solution to the financial mire facing the council following the collapse of the previous Tory Independent administration. “ M o r a y Council has been spending far m o r e money than it takes in for many years,” she told the Advertiser. “Everyone realises that this cannot continue as there is virtually no money left in reserves. “Regrettably, we’ve had no option but to make these drastic cuts. Nobody wants to increase charges nor make service cuts, however in the short space of time it has been very challenging. There has been weekly cross-party working with all group leaders meeting to discuss all the proposals and look at ways forward. “We have been open to all suggestions and ideas that have been brought to the table by other groups. We all need to work together for the good of the people of Moray. “These cuts are going to impact
on everyone in our community and we have had to look for ways to minimise this whilst trying to maintain as many services as possible. Hopefully folk will work together with the council, local councillors and community councils to find positive ways forward and keep our community active, vibrant and a good place to live. “Personally recycling centre for the Buckie area. It was put forward for closure on geographical grounds, although it is my understanding that its one of the more economically efficient recycling centres in the authority.” Councillor Gordon Cowie (right) (Buckie-Independent) said elected members had been left with “little choice”. He continued: “Councillors are legally obliged to produce a balanced budget. “With the grant from the Scottish Government less than expected, something has to give. Given the freeze on community tax for all these years and councillors only allowed to put it up by three per cent and with all the new burdens passed from the Scottish Government, we find ourselves in this position.
“I find it very hard to take, as when last year’s budget talks were on going this same group of councillors lambasted the then administration for being brutal and actually tried to reverse some of the decisions taken. It’s amazing what a year can do in politics. “ Councillor Tim Eagle (Buckie), the leader of Moray’s conservatives, cast doubt on whether the
local authority could save another £5.2 million from its £214 million budget within the next four weeks. He said: “I don’t see how it can be done and I haven’t spoken to any council officers who think otherwise. There are a few ideas floating around but they don’t add up to anything close to £5.2 million.” Councillor Eagle suggested £500,000 could probably be saved by streamlining the mana g e m e n t structure. For more info on the cuts plan visit www. moray .gov.uk
Brutal choices Councillors have been left facing some pretty unenviable, even brutal choices. Some savings identified are: n Closing remaining public toilets. n Closing some six libraries – including Cullen and Fochabers – and reducing opening hours of others, one of those being Buckie. n Increasing charges for harbour users by 10 per cent, music instruction to rise to £699 and burial fees for non-residents. n Removing the remaining school crossing patrollers. n Reducing community warden service, grass and roads winter
gritting, maintenance programmes. n Charging for out-of-zone school transport. n Removing the Active Schools and sports development service, and Essential Skills programme. n Reduction of Devolved School Management budgets (DSM) and increasing class size thresholds in P2 and P3. n Relocation of Auchernack Access Point in Forres to Forres House Community Centre. n Closure of two pools, Keith and Lossiemouth subject to securing increased usage. n Reduce street sweeping. n Introduction of new car parking charges across Moray