Councillors in Aberdeen have given their backing to £71million of cuts – but shelved plans to scrap the city’s celebrated music-tuition service, close every park in the city and hit drivers with a congestion charge.
The city council’s ruling Liberal Democrat-SNP coalition admitted yesterday that every resident of Aberdeen was going to suffer because of its five-year programme of savings.
Finance convener Kevin Stewart said no area of the public sector was safe from cuts – and that the local authority in Aberdeen needed to save £120million or risk going “bankrupt”.
Councillors agreed at yesterday’s finance committee to recommend 178 savings options, worth a total of £71million, to a key meeting of all elected members on December 15.
Cuts supported by the administration included halving the number of pupil-support assistants in city schools, leading to 290 job losses.
They also backed a proposal to withhold £9million that was assumed to be needed to meet the growing number of pupils with extra needs, raising fears that special-needs bases could close and 27 specialist teachers be made redundant.
Plans to hit hotels with a “bed tax” were also supported, as was increasing parking charges every two years and the privatisation, or “mutualisation”, of entire council departments, including its finance and legal functions.
The committee called for more information and further reports before making any recommendations on 31 other potential cuts, worth £43.5million.
These included plans to close two care homes for the elderly, privatise children’s homes and reduce funding for Grampian Police by more than £3.5million.
The future of the city’s music-tuition service – used by 3,000 school pupils every week – will also be the subject of another report, although senior councillors said it would continue, potentially with increased charges for all but the poorest families.
Another 43 proposed cuts, worth £33.2million, were shelved by finance committee members, including controversial plans to end free personal care, increase primary school class sizes and close the city’s music school and all Aberdeen’s public parks and toilets.
Mr Stewart said: “No one enters elected office to make cuts but unfortunately the depth of savings we are required to make in these extremely difficult economic times gives us no choice but to do so.
“We have got some extremely difficult decisions to make over the next few weeks and months. What I don’t want is for this council to reach the point of bankruptcy.
“Everybody is going to suffer because of these budget cuts. No one in our society will remain untouched.
“We must get through this and ensure that the most vulnerable are protected and that the city’s economy is protected.”
It emerged yesterday that a large proportion of the £120million savings measures in the five-year plan were earmarked for next year, although exact figures have not been revealed.
The council has already announced it will shed 900 jobs next year, but a decision on whether the redundancies would be compulsory or voluntary was deferred at yesterday’s meeting, and will now be considered by the full council on December 15.
Other savings supported by the administration yesterday include a reduction in its funding of the Fairer Scotland Fund, which tackles deprivation, maximising class sizes for older teenagers in secondary schools and raising cremation and burial fees by 10%.
Grant Bruce, Aberdeen secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) teaching union, said the administration’s plan would not protect the most vulnerable in society.
“By getting rid of 27 primary and secondary ASN (additional support needs) teachers, many local ASN bases will close,” he said.
Opposition councillors tried yesterday to have the entire business-plan report moved to the full council meeting in two weeks, but were defeated by 10 votes to five.
Labour’s Gordon Graham said: “We are here talking about a five-year plan but the Scottish Government has only given us a one-year budget.”
His colleague, Neil Cooney, said: “This is an attack on the quality of life of every citizen in the city today.”
Labour members were criticised, however, for failing to produce alternative proposals for savings.
Liberal Democrat Kate Dean said: “I do think it’s an abdication of their responsibilities and it’s one we are getting used to.”
Conservative councillor Jim Farquharson said he would be revealing alternative budget proposals at the full council meeting.