A service responsible for road maintenance could shoulder the biggest share of the proposed cuts to a north-east council’s budget.
Aberdeenshire Council is looking to save more than £51million over the next two years.
Councillors will be asked to back plans next week which could see up to 1,500 jobs being axed, primary schools merged, charges increased, opening hours reduced and museums and libraries reviewed.
If the plans are approved, the transportation and infrastructure service will bear the brunt with a 16% cut to its budget.
The chief executive service – which includes human resources and communications – will experience the second largest reduction to its budget of 15%.
Both corporate services and planning and environmental services will see a 13% cut to their budgets.
One of the largest departments – the education, learning and leisure service – will experience a 8% cut to its budget. And the housing and social work service will see a 5% reduction in its budget if councillors back the proposed cuts.
The service cuts could also reduce the hours available at swimming pools, libraries, recycling centres and park and ride facilities. Museums and ski centres could close, along with village halls – although the council hopes communities may take over the running of some facilities.
The authority is also proposing to cut 10% of its workforce – 900 full time-equivalent posts – or up to 1,500 jobs.
Compulsory redundancies would be used if people did not volunteer for severance or early retirement.
TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Current budget – cuts proposed in brackets
Building cleaning efficiencies £6,733million (£150,000)
Energy management £10million (£240,000)
Grounds maintenance – verge cutting £736,000 (£200,000)
Grounds maintenance – burial grounds £1.676million (£130,000)
Grounds maintenance – parks £4.719million (£200,000)
Parks and open spaces – £1.337million (£130,000)
Local bus services – bus route development £252,000 (£252,000)
Footway maintenance – £1.180million (£200,000)
Concessionary related initiatives – taxi card £553,000 (£225,000)
Aberdeenshire Towns Programme – next steps development trust support £365,000 (£305,000)
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Current budget – cuts proposed in brackets
Print £1.984million (£225,000)
Administration / travel/ recruitment and corporate training costs £235,000 (£85,000)
HR transactional services £555,000 (£108,000)
Area top-up budget £315,000 (£90,000)
Community safety £360,000 (£117,000)
Community wardens £150,000 (£50,000)
Fairer Scotland Fund £1.221million (£132,000)
Corporate improvement and performance £390,000 (£80,000)
CORPORATE SERVICES
Current budget – cuts proposed in brackets
Treasury loans fund £51.296million (£1.125million)
Contact centre £469,000 (£229,000)
Software – business systems £1.4million (£140,000)
Insurance fund £1.218million (£73,000)
Finance cross service finance saving £148,000 (£100,000)
Governance – printing, course expenses, travel and administration costs £274,000 (£60,000)
PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
Current budget – cuts proposed in brackets
Increase trade waste income £2.086million (£100,000)
Maximise the recovery of garden waste currently placed in residual bins £8.806million (£500,000)
Maximise recovery of recyclable material currently placed in residual bins £8.806million (£500,000)
Redesign collection service making it more efficient through reduced resources £3million (£88,000)
PP&E junior management £330,000 (£70,000)
Waste – reduce newspaper promotions £200,000 (£200,000)
Waste – cease all temporary civic amenity tipping provision £115,000 (£115,000)
End village orderlies £130,000 (£130,000)
Environmental health – review middle and lower management structure £592,000 (£170,000)
Community composting schemes £100,000 (£90,000)
PP&E management £1.307million (£227,000)
EDUCATION, LEARNING AND LEISURE
Current budget – cuts proposed in brackets
Increase charges for school meals £5.383million (£300,000)
Directorate, divisional management and HQ/Dvisional Administration £3.715million (£550,000)
Nursery – permanent teachers £10.919million (£974,000)
Pre-school commissioned places £2.4millon (£150,000)
Primary – permanent teachers £42.051million (£180,000)
Primary school rationalisation £86.095million (£2million)
Secondary – permanent teachers £51million (£360,000)
Secondary – permanent teachers £51million (£1.050million)
Special – permanent teachers £17.120million (£183,000)
Supply teachers £3.418million (£200,000)
APT&C administration – schools £6.047million (£605,000)
SFL Auxiliaries £7.419million (£200,000)
Lunchtime supervisors £1.057million (£1.06million)
Advertising and recruitment £286,000 (£132,000)
School transport £15.838million (£225,000)
Catering contract £5.383million (£220,000)
Sport and leisure – increased income £4.228million (£140,000)
Classroom assistants £2.649million (£1.323million)
Visiting specialists £3.713million (£200,000)
Modern languages £237,000 (£150,000)
Secondary – permanent teachers £51million (£940,000)
Secondary – APT&C non-teaching technicians and librarians £2.952million (£197,000)
Primary and secondary – music instructors (£1.495million)
Special – permanent teachers £17.120million (£855,000)
Psychologists £1.316million (£120,000)
SFL auxiliaries £7.419million (£225,000)
Education – heat and light £5.682million (£540,000)
Education – cleaning, contract change £4.971million (£250,000)
Non-staff cost cuts to schools £4.381million (£200,000)
Education – improvement planning £1.393million (£893,000)
Education – community school networks £2.147million (£214,000)
Arts development including arts education £430,000 (£130,000)
Visitor attractions £952,000 (£400,000)
Grant aid £872,000 (£600,000)
Libraries £4.290million (£550,000)
Museums £608,000 (£120,000)
HOUSING AND SOCIAL WORK
Current budget – cuts proposed in brackets
Charging for social work services £6.416million (£170,000)
General fieldwork and administration – review of business support £2.818million (£100,000)
Adult community care – reduce high cost care packages £4.440million (£410,000)
Residential care – review of in-house learning disability respite/supported living service £10.533million (£100,000)
Residential care – review staffing in residential care homes for older people £9.466million (£150,000)
Sheltered housing £2.843million (£300,000)
Adult services – day care £5.754million (£100,000)
General fieldwork and admin – reduce business support and improvement functions £2.818million (£350,000)
Family placement – redesign through care and aftercare service £585,000 (£250,000)
Review of changing children services projects £606,000 (£150,000)
Travel and subsistence £2.087million (£200,000)
Homeless service £1.5million (£100,000)
Children community care £1.080million (£200,000)
CORPORATE INITIATIVES
Pay inflation 2011-13 £9.336million
Local government workers’ pay inflation 2010/11 £602,000
ICT revenue implications £393,000
Business rates £455,000
Concordat initiatives £1.742million