SNP claim alternative budget avoids 'ticking timebomb'
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THE leader of the opposition SNP group on Moray Council has claimed the ruling Independent-Tory administration would "see us sleepwalking towards bankruptcy next year".
Councillor Gary Coull’s comments came as the SNP group published an alternative budget ahead of Wednesday’s budget setting meeting.
Cllr Coull said the current situation was "completely irresponsible."
The administration had been considering an 18 per cent increase in Council Tax until finance secretary John Swinney threatened swingeing penalties on the council if it went ahead with the move.
The admin group is now proposing to dip into reserves to protect frontline services over the next year.
However, Cllr Coull insists the SNP group has identified extra savings through management restructuring, backroom efficiencies, increased income and ending the controversial Western Link Road project.
In total SNP Councillors have identified more than £3 million of additional savings over two years compared to the Independent/Tory Administration budget, which has enabled the group to propose the reinstatement of several key budget lines.
Cllr Coull added: "We have worked hard as a group, gathering information and sharing ideas. By doing that we believe that an additional £3 million of savings are achievable.
"This allows us to put quarter of a million pounds back into key economic development budgets, properly supporting the Citizens Advice Bureau and reducing the impact of school meals and music tuition increases.
"This can be achieved by making serious efforts to restructure the Council’s management, significantly increasing efforts to gain energy efficiency savings, increasing income by selling advertising opportunities on the Council’s bus fleet and in our leisure facilities and ending the controversial Western Link Road project. All areas that the public have been calling for us to look at.
"By taking a different, more responsible approach to the budget we have identified greater savings while still maintaining critical services and, crucially, keeping in place the SNP’s promise of a Council Tax freeze.
"The Council’s Administration have questions to answer over how they took the lazy option of an 18% Council Tax rise causing undue worry and concern to many people, but have since then found a significant underspend, as well as more savings. How hard did they really try to find savings in the first place? This shows just how much of a knee jerk reaction their plan for a Council Tax hike was.
"Our plan means a smaller budget deficit next year rather than a ticking financial time bomb."
