The Highland Council will be asked on Thursday (1st February) to set a budget of £517 million for 2007-08 which will represent a 5.3% increase on the £491 million of 2006-07.
The Council’s Budget Working Group, chaired by Vice Convener, Councillor Michael Foxley has recommended a package of measures which balance growth in the Education, Social Work and Transport, Environmental and Community Services budgets with a programme of efficiencies and savings.
Councillor Foxley said: “The Budget Working Group had a difficult task of meeting the growing needs in Social Work and Education and at the same time making sure that the Council continues to provide efficiency savings.
“Without the additional £5.48 million funding provided by the Scottish Executive this would have been a very difficult budget year and this has allowed us to put additional funding into Social Work, Education and flood defences.
“Over the next few years we expect the government’s financial settlements to be very tight and we continue a programme of efficiencies and savings. We will achieve over £12 million in savings in the current year, with over £7 million of that coming from efficiencies.
“We have provided for increases in the budget for older people and for dealing with delayed discharge and free personal care. We will also be opening five news schools and school transport and energy budgets will also see a major boost to reflect increasing costs.
The Council has set up a Climate Change Working Group of members and officers, which held its inaugural meeting on 24th January chaired by Councillor Foxley to look at future policy on climate change. The Council will also be looking towards making improved efficiencies through a programme of energy savings and will move towards energy and electricity supplies where 50% comes from renewable energy sources.
Councillor Foxley said: “Climate change is now affecting all of us and we have provided a new budget line for drainage and water course maintenance amounting to £1 million for next year to improve services.”
Measures to balance the budget include £12.3 million in savings and reductions, of which £7.164 million are efficiency savings. These efficiency savings exceed the target set by the Scottish Executive of £2.559 million.
The Council will set the Council Tax on Thursday 8th February. The current Band D payment is £1,135.
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Notes to editors:
The revenue budget of £517 million is funded by:
- £296.7 million of revenue support grant from the Scottish Executive;
- £77.9 million of non-domestic rate income;
- £37.9 million of specific grants from the Executive;
- £102.3 million of Council Tax income.
The budget allows for:
- increases in the costs of school transport contract costs £0.7 million;
- pressures of homelessness and ‘Supporting People’ on Housing Services at £1.2 million;
- the introduction of an e-planning system at £0.1 million;
- the increasing demand for learning disability packages on Social Work £0.2 million;
- waste management contract increases and landfill tax costs £1.4 million;
- increased drainage and grounds maintenances costs £1.04 million;
- continuing to promote benefits uptake £0.06 million.
- additional gross spending of £2.7 million for the provision of the first of 11 new schools under the PPP2 programme;
- £0.9 million of Changing Children’s Services Funds within Education, Culture and Sport; £1.0 million towards class size reduction; Better Behaviour Project and the Parental Involvement Bill;
- an increase in the contingency for job evaluation £0.8 million;
- provision for energy price increases at £2.2 million; and
- pension increases for teaching and non-teaching staff £1.6 million.
Within Social Work Services, additional spending goes towards:
- £0.9 million Care Home Fees increase in provision;
- £1.1 million providing for the increasing number of elderly; and
- £0.4 million for training Social Work staff.