Leading councillors are to be dragged to Aberdeen Town House to answer for the worst of council budget cuts at a special meeting.
Both the Conservatives and Labour have demanded the urgent assembly amid fierce public protests at planned closures of libraries and swimming pools.
The Tories are also demanding transparency over the U-turns and decision-making around the Big Noise Torry music project, which briefly lost its funding too.
And communities bearing the brunt of the budget are being urged to put themselves forward to speak at the emergency meeting.
Ruling SNP and Liberal Democrat councillors have to hold the urgent meeting within a fortnight of last Thursday, March 16.
A date is yet to be shared publicly.
Budget protests across Aberdeen over at-risk libraries and swimming pool
Outraged locals donned their swimming kit on Sunday as they gathered to show their support for the endangered Bucksburn pool.
It follows a packed meeting at the Beacon Centre in the Aberdeen suburb as residents forged a plan to fight the imminent closure.
Thousands have signed petitions and turned out in support of six at-risk libraries too.
More were out in force at Woodside on Saturday, which faces the axe alongside Cornhill, Cults, Ferryhill, Kaimhill and Northfield.
The wave of closures was pushed through by the SNP and Liberal Democrat administration, passing a first budget since taking charge last May.
Sport Aberdeen is also to close and press ahead with the demolition of the Beach Leisure Centre as a consequence of the £687,000 budget cut.
Labour has led the charge against the library and Bucksburn pool closures – though they voted for the same cut to the city’s leisure operator in their alternative budget.
Crockett: Public should demand voice they were ‘shamefully denied’ on budget day
Group leader Barney Crockett urged citizens to come forward and speak against the proposals at the crunch meeting.
To do so they need to contact council officials about making a deputation – an opportunity he said the public were “shamefully denied” at the budget meeting on March 1.
Labour calls for the scores of protestors outside the Town House that day to be afforded the chance to speak were voted down by the administration.
Mr Crockett said: “There is a huge swell of public support to keep these six threatened libraries and Bucksburn pool open.
“I commend those within our communities who are working hard to push the administration into protecting vital public services from closing.
“We call on the SNP and Liberal Democrats to finally see sense and work together with Aberdeen Labour to keep these vital services open. The cost of doing so is £340,000 a year.”
Hope of last-minute UK Budget boon for Bucksburn pool
The Press and Journal revealed on Saturday that council top brass are primed to ask the Scottish Government for an extra £500,000 to keep Bucksburn open long-term.
It comes as a direct consequence of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt putting aside £63 million for English councils to sustain their swimming provision as the cost of heating the facilities soars.
Bucksburn pool requires about £400,000 to be invested in replacement machinery, while it costs £80,000 a year to run.
Read more: Sport Aberdeen’s boss admits ‘failure’ in securing funding for vital community facilities
Labour, in charge until last May, rejected official calls to save money by closing libraries in each of the last five years, Mr Crockett said, as they are the “fabric and learning hubs of our communities”.
Aberdeen council budget fallout: Conservatives demand answer over Big Noise Torry U-turn
Meanwhile, Conservative councillor Michael Kusznir continues to demand answers on the “unsubstantiated attack” on the Big Noise Torry project in his ward.
It was a cut to charity Sistema Scotland so unpalatable that the SNP-led Scottish Government undid it within days.
But that was not before SNP councillors for the Torry and Ferryhill ward, Christian Allard and Lee Fairfull, described the music project, in one of the poorest parts of Aberdeen, as having “no impact whatsoever”.
“Let’s be very clear: if we had the money, we wouldn’t (support Sistema Scotland) either,” Mr Allard told the budget meeting.
There were climbdowns from both as their Holyrood chiefs provided the charity with the funds to keep going.
Torry councillor faces calls to quit £33,000-a-year anti-poverty job over Big Noise row
Mr Kusznir has previously called for the council’s anti-poverty convener Allard to quit over the U-turn – and the refusal to make official pre-budget advice available.
Administration councillors reportedly faced the music for their role in the would-have-been axing of the popular project at a fiery recent meeting of Torry Community Council.
Mr Allard refused the request to share official advice at his committee’s meeting on March 8.
The Press and Journal awaits the release of the briefings through freedom of information.
Claims: Big Noise Torry blunder brought Aberdeen council budget process into ‘disrepute’
But now, Mr Kusznir will urge transparency over the episode at the requisitioned meeting.
He told The P&J: “This debacle brings the whole political process into disrepute.
“The administration firstly pulled the funding, saying Big Noise had no impact on the lives of young people in Torry. Then, three days later, they welcomed the funding from their SNP bosses in Edinburgh to save Big Noise. You couldn’t make it up.
“The people of Torry deserve transparency from the council, the resignation of Councillor Allard as anti-poverty onvener and an apology for the statements criticising an organisation which does so much good to help tackle the challenges our young people face.”
Read more: Sistema Scotland chief executive on why Big Noise Torry is about ‘so much more than music’
Lib Dem council co-leader Ian Yuill told us: “Opposition councillors have the right to call special meetings – and they have done so again.
“Our partnership will look forward to the debate when council meets.”
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