West Lothian Council set for unprecedented level of cuts

Dec 30 2010 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

WEST Lothian Council will have to make an unprecedented £15 million worth of cuts next year after council chiefs received details of their local government settlement.

This massive cut is despite the county receiving the lowest grant reduction of any Scottish local authority which is due to its rising youth and elderly populations.

The £318 million settlement for the county in the next financial year equates to a 0.36 per cent reduction for 2011/12 — compared to the 2.6 national average — and means West Lothian will need to make less cuts than the £18 million worth identified in the Tough Choices consultation.

However councillors will now have their own tough choices to make when they get together to discuss the budget on January 11 but Council Leader Peter Johnston says his administration’s key priorities will be education, protecting the elderly and vulnerable and protecting jobs.

Councillor Johnston told the Courier: “The scale of cuts to affect us remains unprecedented. A change to the way the council delivers services is inevitable and the reduction in funding will have an impact upon everyone in West Lothian.

“However, given the amount of scrutiny that has been undertaken through the ‘Tough Choices’ consultation process, we are in the strongest possible position to deliver a balanced budget in January.

“Having accepted the Scottish Government’s offer it means Council Tax for local people in the county will be frozen for the fourth year in a row.

“We will be looking to reduce the teacher pupil ratios in schools, maintain the number of police officers we have and also maintain the progress we have made in providing respite care for carers.

“But just as we have benefited as we have a growing population we still have to spend those resources as we have commitments we need to keep.

“The finance settlement for each local authority reflects their spending needs.

“In West Lothian’s case, our increased share reflects factors such as our increase in both older people and young children, increased secondary school rolls and an increase in the money we pass directly to Lothian and Borders Police.

“When the Tough Choices consultation process was launched earlier in the year, council officers were advised to expect cuts of between £18 and £20 million for 2011/12, now we know that figure will be closer to £15 million.

“When we put our 2011/2012 budget forward on 11 January, it will be our aim to protect key frontline services and ensure that vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, are protected.

“Other key areas for us are education and the protection of jobs.”

Donald Forrest, head of finance and estates, said the work done through the Tough Choices consultation, launched by the council earlier this year, put them in a good position to deliver a balanced budget.

He added: “The consultation was the biggest exercise if its kind to ever take place in West Lothian.

“It was a very worthwhile process and a number of suggestions made by the public and staff during the consultation have been taken on board and will feature in my budget report.

“We have been looking at all aspects of our expenditure and anything that is not essential is being taken out the budget.

“An example of that is cutting the council catering budget of £93,000 and also the removal of the official car.

“We’re trying everything we can to make efficiencies. Even allowing for that we know we have to make further savings.

“That is what councillors will be looking at in the budget meeting in January.

“To put it in perspective the most savings we have ever had to make in a year before was £6m.

“The size of the challenge is great but because we have done so much planning we are in a great position to deliver the budget.”

Despite the settlement meaning there will be less savings to make than feared, Councillor Johnston warned: “It is better than expected but it is better to plan for the worst and hope for the best. A lot of hard work and planning has put us in good stead but it is still a mammoth challenge and we are only in the first year of that challenge.

“We will be back here next year with an equally challenging budget and it is not going to go away in four or five years.”