THE outgoing leader of Moray Council said his successor will face “tough decisions” when determining which vital services to axe across the region if Holyrood fails to provide them with extra cash.
Stewart Cree has been a constant presence in the chambers for a decade but is stepping down from the helm this month following funding battles with the Scottish Government.
During that time the authority has slashed £24million from its books but could still run out of cash in April next year and be declared bankrupt.
Yesterday the outgoing leader pointed to a broken system of local government while other regions maintain a freeze on council tax.
And he warned “frightening reductions” to services, including libraries and swimming pools, could have to be made without extra support.
But SNP campaigners hit back by saying repeated suggestions from them to save money have been turned down.
Mr Cree said: “No finance minister would want a council going bust on their watch, nobody would want to have that against their name.
“They may blame the council or do whatever they want but when we are showing the performance levels that we are, green lights across the board, then they’ve got a hard job to say we’re a bad council.
“When I’ve gone to meetings with the finance minister, whether it was John Swinney or Derek Mackay, I’ve asked if there’s anything we’re doing wrong.
“I just don’t know what the answer is. It’s got the point now where tough decisions have to be made about which services will have to be got rid of entirely.”
Mr Cree was thrust into the leadership of the authority in 2014 when a row about school closures prompted Allan Wright to step down as leader.
Yesterday he likened running the previous independent and Conservative administration to “herding kittens” due to differing viewpoints.
Last night Graham Leadbitter, who is campaigning to retain his seat as an Elgin City South councillor for the SNP, said repeated suggestions to improve the authority’s financial position had been turned down.
He said: “A serious review of senior management and working closely with neighbouring authorities are just two things we have fought hard for over the years – but little to no progress has been made.
“We think there is significant scope for savings there but they were never explored properly by the independent and Tory administration.”
Mr Leadbitter added: “The fact is that every council and public service, including the Scottish Government, is working under severe financial pressure.
“However, it has seemed like Moray Council is the only one going cap in hand to the Scottish Government instead of dealing with the problems on its own doorstep.”
Next month a band of newly-elected councillors will take their place in the chambers facing the prospect of finding more millions to cut.
Only 14 of the current members have agreed to stand again with Mr Cree, convener Allan Wright and SNP leader Gary Coull among those stepping down.
Mr Cree has warned the hopefuls they face being “swamped” with tough decisions in their first days in post to stay in the black.
And the former Keith councillor has warned some big surprises could be in store for them.
He said: “The biggest battle they are going to have is with the central government.
“If the Scottish Government don’t want local government in its current format, which I suspect they don’t, then they will have to be strong.”
Mr Cree added: “For those coming in it’s going to be a challenging time. It’s unfortunate but they’re going to have to run just to stand still.”
