The public, staff, trade unions and young people across the region will be guaranteed a say in reshaping a slimmed down Highland Council.
The tough task of “redesigning” the authority to prepare it for yet more budget cuts began in earnest yesterday with the creation of a new working group to oversee the process.
Slashed funding meant £50million of savings this year alone to avoid a heavy penalty from the Scottish Government.
Further punishing grant cuts are envisaged over the next two years.
Council chief executive Steve Barron confirmed that the overall workforce was now “around 8,000” following his voluntary redundancy initiative to help balance the books. That is a 20% reduction in two years.
Council convener Isobel McCallum has been appointed chairwoman of the new 16-member “Redesign Board.”
It comprises six independent councillors, four SNP members, three Liberal Democrats, two from the Labour group and Thomas MacLennan of the Highland Alliance group and will meet every fortnight or so from next month.
The group will consult staff, the public, unions and service providers each step of the way, holding workshops as and when necessary.
Research by the authority’s budget team is already underway to try to pinpoint how councils elsewhere in the UK have reviewed their service structures.
Council leader Margaret Davidson: “We’re here because we’ve just taken 10% out of the council and we’re going to be taking more out next year and the year after, and I think we’ve got to have an organisation fit for delivery of what the community is actually paying its taxes for us to deliver.”
Opposition SNP councillor Bill Lobban, who was appointed vice chairman of the group, agreed.
“We need to concentrate our minds on getting this job done,” he said.
Labour group leader Jimmy Gray mooted the idea of asking stakeholders what services they felt the council might stop providing.
Mr Barron was quick to intervene.
He said: “I think that asking that question gets you into the same vicious circle that we were in at budget time and that’s entirely the wrong question.
“Sorry to be so blunt, but I think that in order to make this a positive exercise for all concerned we’re asking people to make positive choices about positive outcomes not negative choices about what to stop.”
