Wishaw Press

Council blasted over cuts to services

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A war of words has broken out over cuts to a vital frontline council service.

The council’s Policy and Resources Committee agreed £1.4 million of cuts over the next two years to the Community Learning and Developmen­t service in the local authority, a decision which infuriated the SNP.

The service includes support workers, adult literacy and numeracy workers and developmen­t officers across North Lanarkshir­e. The Nationalis­ts called for a pause and seek greater dialogue with trade unions but were defeated in the debating chamber.

A total of 31 jobs will be lost.

The SNP’S Jordan Linden said: “The decision by the Policy and Resources Committee is incredibly disappoint­ing.

“We asked for common sense to prevail, to pause and to consult with our colleagues in trade unions in order to get the decisions on the future of a vital and valued service, CLD, right for the future.

“Instead Labour and the Conservati­ves joined together, supported this recommenda­tion which sees £1.4 million of reduction in spending on this highly valued service. I hope that we will see swift reassuranc­e to those impacted by the changes in CLD; and that this service which has had a profound impact on my own life - will be able to continue to deliver the high quality service that it does to empower individual­ly and collective­ly, communitie­s throughout North Lanarkshir­e.”

However, the council’s leadership claim the CLD service has been secured following the decision.

NLC state that the committee rejected options which would have had significan­t impacts on frontline staff and service users and instead agreed an option to redesign the service.

The council’s deputy leader Paul Kelly said: “We are faced with very difficult decisions because of the savings we are being forced to find. Make no mistake, these savings are as a result of budget decisions at national level.

“However, the administra­tion was determined to find a solution to this issue which meant communitie­s could have confidence that CLD would continue to be a priority.

“I’m glad we have been able to achieve that in a way which means North Lanarkshir­e’s investment per head of population in CLD remains the highest in Scotland. The fact is that, through no fault of its own, the council had to make substantia­l savings in this area, as we have had to across all the services of the council. One option on the table would have seen enormous cuts to frontline service delivery.

“We were not prepared to accept that, although I absolutely recognise that reviewing service management also has an impact on our people.”

 ??  ?? Incredibly disappoint­ing The SNP’S Jordan Linden blasted the council’s decision to cut part of the service
Incredibly disappoint­ing The SNP’S Jordan Linden blasted the council’s decision to cut part of the service
 ??  ?? Tough decisions Paul Kelly
Tough decisions Paul Kelly

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