Moray Council yesterday agreed to spend nearly £200,000 on five new jobs – while progressing with “hair-raising” plans to slash public services.
Councillors met in Elgin for crunch talks on the authority’s financial future, after being warned it faces a £14million budget shortfall between 2017 and 2018.
They agreed to quiz residents on a package of possible service reductions which could leave school crossing patrollers, swimming pools and libraries on the chopping block.
But despite the impending cuts, local authority bosses successfully argued that ploughing £186,000 into creating some new posts would save money in years to come.
Chief executive Roddy Burns said that forming a dedicated team to oversee the council’s major projects and programmes could recoup huge sums.
He said money would be funnelled from reserves to create a £76,300 senior programme manager post, and £53,800 senior
project officer position.
They will be supported by a general administrator on £21,700 a year, and part-time skills development and specialist administrator workers on a £17,500 salary.
Mr Burns said he could not say exactly how much the team would be able to save, but maintained the move would have a radical effect on future outgoings.
He added: “This is an investment, and I think we will see a return on it, it’s not jobs for the boys.”
But Fochabers Lhanbryde member Douglas Ross said he found it “impossible” to support the plan.
“We can’t say to our communities that we are cutting back on front-line services but we are also going to employ more people centrally,” he said.
“I don’t think this is the time to be spending more money on new staff.”
Forres councillor George Alexander accused Mr Ross of adopting a simplistic, “man in the pub” view on the council’s finances.
And council leader Stewart Cree insisted that the investment would prove prudent in the long run.
He added: “This isn’t some hare-brained scheme, it will more than pay for itself.
“The unalterable truth is that this council will face enormous changes in the next two or three years and we have to manage that correctly.”
He also hailed the success of a previous Designing Better Services initiative in cutting the council’s outgoings.
The scheme achieved more than £10million in savings between 2008 and last year.
The creation of the new posts was endorsed by the council’s SNP opposition group, on the proviso that the fledgling team reviewed and restructured management positions.
SNP group leader, Gary Coull, said: “We see this as a spend to save initiative.”
The move was ultimately approved by 21 votes to five.
Later in the meeting, councillors were presented with a report which outlined the £14million imbalance between income and expenditure anticipated for 2017-18.
They agreed to progress a series of suggested service cuts to public consultation.
The council could save £4million if it axes six libraries, two swimming pools, lollipop men and women and a community bus service that helps vulnerable residents in rural areas get about.
The projected saving could also be achieved by cutting spending on public parks maintenance by £350,000 and relinquishing control of 16 community centres and town halls.
Mr Coull said some of the areas identified would “set hairs raising”.
But Mr Wright stressed those services had been identified as possible targets only to spark discussion.
He said Holyrood sanctions against a council tax increase had forced the council into investigating the service cuts.
Mr Cree said he would invite new Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution, Derek Mackay, to Moray to “see
firsthand what we are facing”.
