The removal of grant funding for community groups sharply divided the Highland Council chamber at today’s budget meeting.
Ahead of the meeting, opposition leader Alasdair Christie had warned the budget would be “catastrophic” to some of the most vulnerable people in the Highlands.
That theme was a recurring one throughout the debate.
Highland Council’s budget includes the removal of grant funding for respite, after school, childcare, music and sporting groups across the Highlands.
It also cuts £500,000 from mental health services, believing these can be delivered within the community.
The administration says it can’t do it all. They have had to prioritise jobs, keeping council tax low and improving the roads.
But opposition members accused the council of not understanding how local communities work, and disrespecting third sector partners.
They tabled a joint amendment asking the council to use its reserves to avoid those cuts, but failed to win the vote.
Which groups face cuts?
The council agreed today to remove discretionary grants for several groups, in a £90,000 funding saving.
This will affect organisations including Snap in Inverness, which provides respite for children with additional support needs. Mr Christie called it “a cut that will cost so much more”.
Other members spoke in support of affected groups in their own area, including Allsorts after school club in Dornoch, the Pulteneytown People’s Project in Wick and Lochaber Music School.
Green councillor Chris Ballance spoke out for Snap and also for Highland village halls, which stand to lose their Highland Council funding.
Many members also raised concerns about the scope of services the council expects its third sector partners to shoulder.
Highland Council has run two successful pilot projects for young people’s mental health, in Caithness and Lochaber.
But today it agreed to cut £500,000 from Highland mental health services, saying there is now capacity in the community to support young people.
Councillor David Gregg said community groups can easily fall apart when one key volunteer leaves. “A half a million pound cut means spending more to mitigate the damage in the future,” he warned.
‘Our partners are worthy of equal respect’
Several members told the chamber the council’s partners deliver high-quality services, often more efficiently than the council itself.
Picking up on the freezing of payment rates for early learning centres, they said it was another example of the council’s attitude towards its partners.
“I hear often of the disdain we treat our partners with,” said Sutherland councillor Richard Gale.
“These organisations have the same financial challenges as we do. They are worthy of equal respect and that is missing from this budget.”
The Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and some Independent councillors jointly tabled an amendment. It sought to remove the budget cuts for third sector groups, by dipping further into reserves.
However, the administration stressed that it’s already taking £23 million from reserves. If it keeps dipping into savings, reserves are projected to run into negative figures within five years.
“There is no doubt that we will be open to accusations of hitting individual groups or organisations that help others within our communities,” said council leader Raymond Bremner.
“We are committed to helping and assisting these groups and organisations in other ways to secure other financial support.
“We have had to do the best we can within our means, while our options have been greatly reduced.”
The proposed cut to community grants passed by 39 votes to 33.
‘It’s getting harder and harder’
Speaking after the meeting, Snap charity manager Dawn Walker said the decision was a blow.
She said: “The most obvious idea to survive now is increasing what we charge. But that’s not good news for our families.
“We will approach other funders but funding is so competitive. And it’s getting harder and harder.
“We’ve got a slog ahead of us, there’s no doubt about that.”
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