The people of Aberdeen will have their say on how public money should be spent long before the council decides on the next round of cuts.
This spring, councillors sent shockwaves across the city as they voted to close six libraries and two swimming pools.
A children’s music programme in Torry suffered a huge reduction in funding, while bus services were slashed, the cost of school meals increased and council tax went up.
The controversial cutbacks were pushed through to recoup almost £47 million.
It’s thought similar savings will need to be made in the years ahead.
Protests followed ‘difficult’ Aberdeen budget cuts
Ruling politicians claimed they had to make those “difficult decisions” three months ago to look after the poorest in the city.
But that wasn’t enough to prevent furious protests taking place, with hundreds of residents feeling their voices had been ignored.
Efforts are now being launched to remedy that…
Under a new scheme, the public are being offered an unprecedented level of insight into spending proposals usually kept under wraps until days before the annual budget meeting in March.
The eventual results could be used to shape the city for years to come.
The below table shows how much money people in Aberdeen are paying out in council tax following a 5% increase rolled out in April:
How will it work?
The first stage of the new system would be “gathering information” on what Aberdonians see as the city’s “main priorities”.
A new website would be launched this summer, with people able to rank areas such as education and roads according to how important they think they are.
People would be able to say how they feel the budget should be spent, identifying what general areas should receive the most and least cash.
It’s hoped that a bumper response will leave those holding the purse strings in no doubt as to what the people value most.
What happens next?
Following that exercise, feedback would be reported back to councillors.
This would allow the local authority’s political groups to “begin preparation for their
own budget”.
Meanwhile, top officers will be working on in-depth plans to balance the books in an increasingly tough environment.
It will be at this point that individual potential savings are identified.
The results of the public survey will “provide a context for that work”.
Councillors would then enter a series of workshops to ensure they are well briefed on each of the savings options.
Public will then have say on each of the proposed Aberdeen budget cuts
The next stage, hoped to be reached by autumn, would see the full list of potential cuts being revealed to the public.
Going beyond simply identifying areas which should be prioritised, it will detail the specific items being placed on the chopping block.
That would mark a drastic change in approach.
For instance, this year the options were unveiled on the evening of Thursday, February 23, ahead of the crunch meeting on Wednesday, March 1.
That left shocked campaigners scrambling to avert the cuts in a desperate battle against the clock.
The new approach would mean such affected groups have months to make their case to decision-makers.
Public opinion would be known by the end of the year
It will also mean that the people of Aberdeen are given plenty of time to let the cash-strapped council know what really matters to them.
The findings of that second survey will go before councillors by the end of the year.
That report will include “options proposed by the public”.
Papers explaining the new process say that each suggestion from the major consultation will have to be rigorously assessed.
Experts will ensure they are “legally competent” and “affordable” before being weighed up.
By the middle of February, each council group will have drawn up their own financial blueprints for the year ahead.
These will be voted on in March.
Would you be keen to take part in the massive public survey? Let us know in our comments section below
Why are future Aberdeen budget cuts inevitable?
The council is in the midst of a perfect storm of financial challenges.
And that doesn’t look likely to ease up any time soon.
Setting the scene for this year’s brutal budget, finance bosses blamed a lack of funding from the Scottish Government.
But that comes at a time when the council’s power bills have rocketed by £5 million.
Meanwhile, inflation is soaring and even the invasion of Ukraine is piling pressure on resources.
Read our guide to the continuing cash crisis here.
Conversation