Highland Council Administration yesterday acknowledged previous failings in its budget governance, and told opposition councillors changes in process would assure proper governance in future.
Budget leader Alister Mackinnon said although the council’s reserves were down to historically low levels, the governance and monitoring now in place had given him confidence in the council’s financial future.
He said: “By controlling spend, by controlling our vacancies, by having budgets that now have named with people responsible for them, and working alongside the chief executive with budgets a daily part of the process, we have proactive governance in place to meet the challenges going forward.”
Opposition councillor Richard Laird accused the Administration of making ‘covert cuts to try and stop the council falling off a cliff’ last year, as savings targets from redesign, parking charges and toilets went unrealised.
He said: “ What spending restraints are incurred during the financial year are known only to the Administration. What is the budget officers actually had to spend? We don’t know.”
He demanded a report to a future committee detailing in-year spending constraints.
Mr Mackinnon said he was happy to bring a report to the next meeting.
He said: “I accept we had issues in the past but it will be different going forward.”
