Council is on target to save £10 million

Hamish Hutchinson • Published 19 Jan 2012 08:00 5 Comments

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CLACKMANNANSHIRE Council is on target to save more than £10 million by the end of the financial year.

Councillors heard at Thursday's Scrutiny Committee meeting that in addition to the £6.509m budgeted savings, officers were on target to save a further £3.654m.

The extra cash has been generated through "pro-active vacancy management" and bringing forward other cost-saving plans for 2012/13.

At the meeting new council leader Gary Womersley said the accounts showed a "degree of assurance" for all councillors.

Councillors heard at Thursday's Scrutiny Committee meeting that in addition to the £6.509m budgeted savings, officers were on target to save a further £3.654m.

The extra cash has been generated through "pro-active vacancy management" and bringing forward other cost-saving plans for 2012/13.

At the meeting new council leader Gary Womersley said the accounts showed a "degree of assurance" for all councillors.

His SNP colleague Donald Balsillie added, "The projected savings appear to be getting delivered and all officers can be congratulated for that. I have had assurances that these processes are looking more robust but it doesn't mean we can loosen our belts."

Tory Alastair Campbell was more pointed in his reaction, "I don't ever recall us being on target to save £10m in a year. It makes you wonder what we've been doing for the last few years."

Councillors heard that following the Scottish Government's spending review the funding gap over the next three years, 2012/13 to 2014/15, is estimated at £13.581m.

The current reserves strategy states that uncommitted reserves should be held between 2 per cent and 4 per cent of budgeted net expenditure.

The anticipated savings would increase these reserves to £6.778m, amounting to £2.024m in excess of the 4 per cent upper level.

Labour councillors say the projected on target savings contradicts the SNP's comments on the administration's "financial mismanagement".

Speaking after the meeting, Labour councillor Bobby McGill said, "We have done a lot of work in the last two years. A lot of hard decisions have been made and now it's coming to fruition. But we have a few very hard years ahead of us yet. We have to work out what we're doing with the money - we have to be sensible - and this is now our worry that the SNP are in power."

He praised the work of council officers and said that at a meeting before Christmas an independent auditor said Clackmannanshire Council's finances were the "envy of Scotland".

He said, "This has proved what we were saying. Never forget that over the last four years the SNP group has had the power to investigate anything in finance through the Scrutiny Committee. It is annoying that when we have done so well [financially] that we have been put out of our position."

He said the Labour group planned to challenge the SNP administration next month with their own fully costed budget.

Mr Womersley hit back, "The previous Labour Administration have had to save £10 million to plug the £10 million black hole they presided over, notwithstanding the highest real terms increases in budgets ever enjoyed by the council up to now. If this wasn't the case then why has there been so much cutting of services? If they hadn't had to do this Clackmannanshire should have enjoyed real growth whereas the opposite has been the case."

This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 18 Jan 12

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

Nicky1990
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Jan 23, 16:23
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So now Gary Womersley is saying council finances show a "degree of assurance" for councillors. This is in total contrast to a week ago, when he stated that his party felt they had no option but to have a vote of 'no confidence' in the Labour Administration because of badly managed finances. So what is it? I tell what it is seems to be, pure party politics being played at its worst.

Where is the democracy in this. Certain political parties, backed up with councillors desperate for their ounce of revenge putting themselves before residents of Clackmannanshire. This whole incident has left a bitter taste with me. Let the people of this county decide who they want to elect. Can the current SNP administration honestly say they put Clackmannanshire and its residents before themselves. No, in my opinion and the contrasting messages from Womersley backs my point up.

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james89
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Jan 28, 09:54
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I'm not an SNP voter by any stretch of the imagination, but I think Nicky1990 has the wrong end of the stick. Gary Womersley quite correctly berated the previous administration for their handling of the councils' finances, ie a £10million black hole that they managed to plug but in reality should never have occurred in the first place!! Simple!

As for playing party politics at their worst, what an incredibly short memory (or is it more a 'selective' one) when one looks at the previous administrations record. As f9or the question of "Democracy", what we're seeing is democracy in action that is to say, the despots who held power have had their reins pulled in by those who the citizens of Clackmannanshire have elected to represent them, what's your problem?

If the roles had been reversed & the labour party had been the minority group, are you saying they would not have conducted themselves in a similar fashion? If you are, then you are living in cloud cuckoo land!!

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AlloaYankee
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Jan 31, 23:41
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james89,

Quote,

"As for playing party politics at their worst, what an incredibly short memory (or is it more a 'selective' one) when one looks at the previous administrations record."

Are you saying that one party using rhetoric and acting like a bunch of tsars justifies the other party doing the same? If this is not what you are inferring please tell me what your point is.

Quote,

"If the roles had been reversed & the Labour party had been the minority group, are you saying they would not have conducted themselves in a similar fashion?"

Are you again saying that one party acting idiotically justifies the other doing the same?

If not please tell me your point.

I am an SNP supporter but Gary Womersley is certainly no George Reid.

I intimated on previous Advertiser stories that I hoped he would not do this and the majority of votes were against me. Some people cannot see the woods for the trees.

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James1967
Unregistered User
Feb 5, 10:08
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james89 ...

I was merely pointing out that what occurred following labour losing its' overall majority and the subsequent "opportunism" displayed by the SNP group, is precisely what would have occurred if the shoe had been on the other foot, therefore, your point is rhetorical. As for playing party politics, if one casts ones memory back to 2007 when the labour group were elected, perhaps you could indulge me by refreshing my memory as to who it was that posited the "Consensus politics" option in this newspaper and then quickly adopted their old party trick of taking decsisions behind closed doors and presenting them at Council as a fait-accomplis?

Finally, George Reid was no George Reid until he had a few years under his belt!!!!

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AlloaYankee
Unregistered User
Feb 7, 23:17
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james1967....

You totally miss my point. Two wrongs don't make a right.

I agree with everything you say. That is what is wrong in politics. My point is not rhetorical. I want all parties to stop the infantile actions and rhetoric. You cannot justify acting in this way by saying the opposition would, or have, done the same thing. One must do what is best for the electorate. Politicians must start acting like responsible adults.

I blame all parties for this.....

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