Anger over council handling of cuts U-turn for schools

HIGHLAND Council has been accused of causing unnecessary anxiety to teachers and parents after it backed away from making any cuts to teaching staff in its new budget agreed last week.

The local authority had been looking at a £15million raft of proposals to tackle a looming black hole in its finances, including the possible shedding of up to 300 jobs in schools, including teachers, additional support needs staff and pupil support assistants.

But a last minute deal when the Green Party at Holyrood agreed to support the minority SNP Government’s settlement saw Highland Council given an extra £7.5m.

Budget

It removed the threat of cuts to teaching posts in the budget, which was voted through at last week’s full council meeting in Inverness.

It was just weeks before that Highland Council had warned head teachers in a letter of the potential for what it termed ‘significant reductions’ in additional support needs staff and pupil support assistants.

But furious SNP councillors in Lochaber have slammed the local authority for ratcheting up what they said was unnecessary stress among parents and teaching staff.

SNP councillor for Fort William and Ardnamurchan Blair Allan told the Lochaber Times: ‘The letter to head teachers just a few weeks ago warned about possible cuts, then more money comes down the track and these cuts are suddenly off the table.

‘That just caused needless anxiety for parents and teachers.’

On the wider issue of the budget, Highland Council has defended its approval of the new financial measures that include a three per cent increase in council tax.

The rise was proposed by the local authority’s ruling coalition of Independent, Lib Dem and Labour councillors.

The meeting also saw a package of savings measures agreed, including a cut of around 50 other job posts, but the council says it is confident these can be managed to avoid redundancies where possible.

The council tax rise means an increase of £35.93 per annum on a band D property. There will also be a number of public toilets closed and new parking charges.

Margaret Davidson, the leader of the council, called it ‘a fair budget’ which protects jobs, education, roads and winter maintenance and communities across the Highlands.

Budget leader Councillor Alister Mackinnon added: ‘Over the past few months, we have had to consider a wide range of options to make very significant cuts to services which we didn’t want to do, but thought may be unavoidable. I recognise the negative effect this uncertainty has caused for staff and communities.

‘A better settlement at the eleventh hour has saved us from having to cut so deeply and we have done our very best to protect front line services and safeguard jobs.’

In a separate statement on behalf of the Independent councillors, Mrs Davidson criticised opposition councillors who had called for the budget discussions to be postponed.

Members of the opposition SNP group had sought a delay, saying the week they had been given to examine the administration’s proposals wasn’t long enough and that there was a lack of up-to-date information.

Irresponsible

But Mrs Davidson dismissed such calls as just ducking big decisions, saying: ‘That would be irresponsible and lead to greater uncertainty for council staff and Highland residents.’

But both Mr Allan and his fellow SNP member for Fort William and Ardnamurchan councillor Niall McLean are angry at the lack of time given to scrutinise the budget proposals.

‘Our amendment was just to think a little bit further about some of these proposals and I felt there was some support from Independent members in the chamber for that,’ said Mr McLean.

‘But then they measures through. voted

Disgusted

these

‘I think it is a very ill-thought out budget and I am disgusted that people stand against something one minute, then vote that through when in the chamber.

‘This budget attacks the weakest members of our communities and is unrealistic.’