An “influx” of immigration into Aberdeen has left councillors feuding – as the “massive impact” of Ukrainian refugees and overseas students on the city’s finances was laid bare.
In a single week, 30 children – enough to fill an entire class – joined one Aberdeen school this August.
Around that time, between 650 and 800 children arrived.
The shift in focus of city universities to attract overseas students “surprised” council bosses at the start of 2022.
Many more than expected brought their families with them, meaning hundreds more school pupils.
And the local authority’s chief finance officer said the problem was “exacerbated” by the Ukrainian crisis.
Scottish Government gives Aberdeen £6.1 million to help refurbish homes for refugees
The arrival of the refugees sparked efforts to refurbish long-empty properties – known as ‘voids’ on the council books – in Aberdeen.
Very quickly, the council had to somewhere for more than 1,000 people to live permanently.
Many have been living in temporary accommodation, such as hotels since arriving in Aberdeen.
Now, the Scottish Government has given the city £6.1 million to help with the renovations.
The local authority in August asked for £7.2 million, in order to upgrade 516 homes.
SNP finance convener, Alex McLellan, said: “I would like to welcome the funding from the Scottish Government to help reduce our voids, and provide housing for the Ukrainian refugees who are housed within our city.
“Both for them and for the positive impact it will have on our housing revenue account for years to come, bringing those properties back into use.”
At the beginning of 2022, around one in 20 Aberdeen council homes were empty.
It was a £250,000-a-month blot on the local authority books.
Hundreds of children added to Aberdeen school rolls in international student boom
Between updates on “dire” council finances, a row broke out on how much more help the city should be due.
The meeting heard more about the entire classful that joined one “modest-sized” primary school in August.
They came as their families took up study at both city universities and North East Scotland College.
And chief finance officer Jonathan Belford estimates “several hundreds” more will come in January, coinciding with the next intake of students.
Combined with the Ukrainian youngsters making a home in the Granite City, Mr Belford told of the “unintended consequences… draw and drain” on council services.
He said: “Undoubtedly, the influx of both refugees and students with families has had a massive impact during the course of this whole calendar year.
“We saw an increase we were surprised by at the beginning of the January term.
“We have seen that again in August in the new intake. That has been exacerbated by the number of Ukrainian families that are here.
“Clearly we have hundreds of children across both international students and refugees that are being accommodated in a variety of educational facilities.”
Planned cuts in Aberdeen’s schools have not been possible because more teachers have been needed to teach hundreds of incoming pupils. Image: Shutterstock. The local authority – once plagued with teacher recruitment issues – has been unable to make planned savings on education.
More teachers have been hired and kept on to cope with the higher school rolls.
Row over government help on costs of welcoming Ukrainian refugees into Aberdeen schools
Labour called for more government help given the “frankly horrifying” state of the council’s books.
Aberdeen City is projected to be £4.4 million in the red by the end of the financial year.
“News of the £6.1 million is very good and most welcome,” Tillydrone, Seaton and Old Aberdeen councillor Ross Grant said.
“It is good for the council but, most importantly, it’s good for the vulnerable Ukrainian families. They will hopefully, in the nearest of possible futures, benefit from it.
“But there has been an identified increase in demand for services. It was not foreseen at the time of setting the budget.
“That is adding to the variables. Given Aberdeen is playing a significant role – as I understand it a comparatively greater role to other places – the pressure we are experiencing is more acute.”
As well as the £6.1m housing funding, the council also receives tariffed grants from the Scottish and UK governments to help cover the costs of welcoming the refugees.
His calls to ask both governments for any more cash were voted down by the SNP and Liberal Democrat administration.
Council won’t ask for more dinner money
Mr Grant was also defeated as he urged councillors to ask Scottish ministers to rethink the estimated cost of expanding free school meals.
New facilities to allow catering for primary six and seven pupils were costed at £11 million.
But that was before post-Covid volatility in the construction trade worsened due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The expansion – already due to be providing 16,000 north and north-east kids with free school meals – was delayed in June.
Convener McLellan accused Labour of trying to make “political points”, adding: “Obviously, the same as Aberdeen City Council, the Scottish Government is aware of the rising cost of capital and has made a decision around that.
“I am sure we will see that progress at a point as well.”
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