Controversial bus lane fines will rocket from £60 to £100 while a major road improvement project is being shelved as Aberdeen City Council claws back millions of pounds.
Meanwhile charity VSA, which looks after disabled adults, will lose out on about £200,000, parking permits will become more expensive and free parking on a Sunday morning is axed.
It comes after councillors met on Wednesday, March 6, to vote on a package of savings worth £16 million.
SNP and Lib Dem leaders acknowledged that making ends meet “has never been more challenging”.
This was blamed on Brexit, the Ukraine war and cost of living crisis.
And while funding was announced for various projects, the ruling group was accused of passing a budget that was little more than a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”.
Despite millions being spent on major initiatives such as the transformation of the the city centre, residents will be hit in various ways.
But what changes should Aberdeen expect as the 2024 budget comes into effect?
Bus gate fines to soar as scores continue to breach rules
The SNP and Lib Dem administration received permission from Transport Scotland on February 29 to raise bus lane fines.
Under their plans, the penalties will now soar from £60 to £100.
Last month, we revealed that the local authority amassed a whopping £600,000 in fines in just two months.
The same 10,000 fines would now make up a £1m windfall under the changes.
This cash will be ploughed into keeping the Kingswells bus service alive, years after Stagecoach deemed it “unviable” and the council took on its funding.
What is being cut in Aberdeen budget for 2024-25?
Aberdeen charity VSA has been part of the city for 150 years, helping vulnerable children and adults.
Its website explains that its leaders assist with mental health, additional learning and support needs, addiction to drugs and alcohol, loneliness and isolation.
Members also look out for those living in extreme poverty.
But the outfit will now lose out on about £200,000.
Conservative group leader Ryan Houghton described VSA as a “wonderful, well-recognised charity”.
In previous years, it has received a six-figure sum from the local authority to continue its work in the city.
Mr Houghton accused the administration of an oversight as his claims sent them “scrambling through their papers to see what they have done”.
He added: “That they aren’t getting their £200,000 this year is entirely regrettable.
“This has not been done as long as I have been on the council, was this an oversight?
“Cutting money to a charity that does so much for vulnerable adults is not the right thing to do… It just isn’t.”
VSA has been approached for comment on how this will affect the charity.
Administration leaders argued that the regular funding had not been applied for this year.
Berryden roadworks shelved in bid to save £720,000
The Berryden Corridor roadworks scheme has already been decades in the making, but it will now be left to linger a little longer.
This bottleneck-busting project would expand the road from Skene Square to the Kittybrewster/St Machar roundabout.
Council chiefs hoped the bigger carriageway would boost the benefits already brought by the Diamond Bridge over the River Don, which opened in 2016.
Delaying subsequent work will save £720,000 over the next year.
Tory Emma Farquhar voiced concerns about the move, claiming the route is becoming busier as people avoid new traffic measures in the city centre.
She said: “Traffic is being pushed out to the edge, and improvements like this are vital.
“They should be progressed, not stalled. It should go hand in hand with the measures in the city centre.”
What fees will go up?
Parking charges will rise across the board, in a bid to raise an added £269,000.
And parking permits, which were ramped up massively last year, are going to increase once more.
Annual permits in some areas soared from £60 to £200.
A further rise will now add an extra £207,000.
These will be more modest in scale, with an added £10 per annum for city centre residents and small rises elsewhere.
Is it ‘wrong’ to penalise parkers going to church on a Sunday morning?
A £160,000 boost will be gained from getting rid of free parking from 8am to 1pm on a Sunday.
It follows a row last autumn when the council was accused of a “shameful cash grab” at the suggestion of doing away with the grace period.
This free spell allows people to park near churches for Sunday worship for free.
The idea of doing away with it arose when Muslim leaders called for parking parity, saying free periods should be allowed on Fridays for worshippers attending mosque.
Council officials raised some eyebrows when they suggested that one way to make it even would be to charge Christians too.
Independent councillor Jennifer Stewart argued that it was wrong to introduce the charges.
What about council tax?
Council tax has been frozen, as per the Scottish Government’s instruction to local authorities.
The government will compensate the council to the tune of £6.9m – which is the same sum which would have been raised by a 5% rise.
Labour leader Tauqeer M Malik described the Holyrood mandate as a “blow to communities”, after top officials recommended an 8% freeze to stave off some cuts.
But Mr McLellan insisted that increasing the tax at a time when so many households are struggling would be “unthinkable”.
Meanwhile, council tax on second homes will double, raising another £750,000.
And what about business rates?
Aberdeen City Council will now withdraw the rates relief offered to companies with empty properties.
However, councillor Jennifer Stewart warned that the move, which will save £2.9m, will lead to many owners demolishing their buildings.
Will we have to pay to park at the beach?
The idea of charging motorists to park at Aberdeen Beach was mooted by officials as a way of raising £200,000.
However, this was not taken forward.
What do you think of the cuts? Let us know in our comments section below
Mr McLellan ruled this out, as it is one of the only spaces in the city that people can park for free at.
But the SNP’s Neil Copland said he “wouldn’t argue” with the motion, which could mean the money-raising initiative is considered again in the coming years.
What else was agreed in 2024 Aberdeen budget cuts?
Council leaders were asked if they had “found a pot at the end of a rainbow” as they rolled out a series of spending plans.
Meanwhile £1m was pledged towards reopening Bucksburn Swimming Pool, with sports venues across Aberdeen spared from closure.
Read more here.
The ruling coalition also opted to wave away the possible hundreds of thousands of pounds that would come with maintaining the controversial brown bin fee.
Read more about that here.
The Aberdeen administration’s 2024 budget cuts were ultimately voted through after hours of heated discussion.
Costs revealed as Aberdeen’s big-spending beach bonanza begins
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