Orkney Islands Council is to hold a series of public meetings to explain why they are making cuts to services, including those termed ‘high risk’. The meetings will take place in June. Here is a run down of where the Councillors have agreed to make cuts – also known as savings.
Total ‘savings’ : £1.75million
‘In house’: £1.04million
Services: £503,000
- Christmas Grant – £64,500
- Waste collections – £65,000
- Roads maintenance – £100,000
- Burial grounds – £5,000
- Economic development grants – £20,000
- Dial a Bus funding – £11,000
- Mull Head interpretation centre and Happy Valley – £300
- Support for learning – £65,000
- Support for learning transport – £6,000
- Educational psychology – £10,000
- Modern language assistants – £30,000
- Community learning and development –£45,000
- Museums service – £30,000
- Grounds maintenance – £25,000
- Summer play scheme – £15,000
- Lunch clubs and third sector organisations – £11,400
- Reduction in homelessness strategy grants – £6,000
Although the categories have been divided up it means that for children and young people with additional needs they will face a cut to services that directly affect them of £96,000.
The councillors have also agreed that they can make some money by raising fees and introducing new charges. These are car parking, youth clubs, garage rents, telecare, frozen meals and day care.
The OIC Budget for 2018/2019 is set at £82million with councillors agreeing to the cuts listed above. The council’s allocation from the Scottish Government was £69million with a further addition of £5.5million to help run Orkney Ferries.
If people have concerns over the cuts before the public meetings in June then they should contact their councillors now.
Related story: Getting It Right For All Our children: Stop the Cuts
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