Are we running too many schools?
Many schools were built over 100 years ago and it would be surprising if we had now just the right number of schools, of just the right size, in the right condition and in just the right place. We have 183 primary schools, 29 secondary schools and 5 special schools. We know that 23% of our primary schools (42 schools) are less than 40% full at the moment with falling school rolls in these areas. We know that 65% (121 primary schools) need improvements to the buildings. With fewer schools, and an agreed acceptable distance to travel to school, we could offer a better learning environment with a broader curriculum and specialist teaching. An alternative could be the same number of schools but with 12% less funding in real terms for each school. We have started a wide ranging review and we may be able to save up to £5.5m over 5 years, with £1.5m estimated over 2 years.
Further Potential Savings to 2013 = £1.5m
Should we continue to run care homes ourselves?
83% of care home places are currently provided, at lower cost, by the private and voluntary sector. The remaining 17% are in 18 Council-run care homes for older people. A place in a Council-run home costs around £819 a week compared to between £464 and £540 for private and voluntary sector. Care homes are independently inspected against the same standards whether in
the public, private or voluntary sectors and inspection reports show similar quality in Highland. Should we concentrate our effort, and our Council provision, in remote and rural areas where private/voluntary providers are unlikely to run care homes? And in the main areas of population, should we allow the private/voluntary sector to provide these services, at lower cost? This could save up to £2.9m.
Further Potential Savings to 2013 = £2.9m
Can we change how we provide day care for older people?
The Council has 23 registered day care services for older people, providing a mixture of social contact, stimulation and physical care for up to 570 older people. Most of these are provided within our care homes, but we have three stand alone older people’s day care centres. The Council also supports almost 30 day services in the private and voluntary sectors which offer another 250 places. Many of these services are less than ¾ full and we know that many older people are reluctant to use services that focus on their age or incapacity. There may be opportunities to meet people’s needs differently in other local settings (e.g. community and leisure centres and village halls) or to bring services together to make more efficient use of some facilities. This could lead to more people benefiting from the services but at lower cost.
Further Potential Savings to 2013 = £0.150m
Can we reduce the number of swimming pools, community centres,
museums and libraries?
To reduce costs we are having to look at: closing some of the 12 swimming pools and some of the 6 community centres in Inverness (elsewhere village halls are used); possibly re-locating archive provision from Portee and Fort William to Inverness; potentially closing some of the Council-owned
museums and art gallery and reducing support to the 18 community-owned museums and 3 heritage centres; even closing up to 18 local libraries and reducing opening hours in the other 22 libraries and reducing the schools and Bookstart library service. The Floral Hall in Inverness is also to be reviewed. For all of these facilities, the Council currently spends over £7.3m. By reducing the number of facilities and reducing opening hours we could save £1.6m. Deciding where to cut back could include distance and travelling time to facilities. We are seeking your views on these ideas.
Further Potential Savings to 2013 = £1.6m
Can we reduce the number of public toilets?
We currently provide and service 105 public toilets across the Highlands at an annual cost of £1.7m. We know these facilities are important for tourism, but are there opportunities to reduce the numbers of public toilets where other facilities are available (for example shopping centres), or where there is a low level of usage, or where local businesses are willing to work with us to make
their toilets available to the public. There are already good examples of local businesses making their toilets available to the public.
Further Potential Savings to 2013 = £0.2m
Instead of looking only at reducing or closing specific local facilities, there
are other options the Council can explore. These might be:
Using public buildings differently and more flexibly, providing services and space for different needs and groups
If we cannot afford to maintain and run all of the local facilities, what is the best way of finding out how to reduce their number and still provide the services needed? Would people in communities be willing to work with us to identify all the buildings in public use locally and to workwith us to agree how to change their use for the community, reduce the number and find savings?
Transferring the ownership and/or the management of some facilities to not-for-profit organisations
If we transfer the running of swimming pools and leisure centres, archives and museums, community centres, and libraries to a not-for-profit organisation this would reduce costs and avoid some closures. This could reduce costs by around £500,000 per annum. Do people using these services mind whether the Council or another organisation provides the service if it means fewer closures?