Scots councils budget cuts ‘will hit services’

Scottish councils have warned they will be forced to slash key services as they struggle to cut budgets by £270m from April.

An investigation by The Herald newspaper has provided early indications of the depth of cuts required to balance town hall books north of the border as revenue streams have dried up.

Scotland’s councils are expected to finalise their budget plans for 2010/11 over the next two months. But in detailed responses to the newspaper town halls have warned they will need to axe around 3,000 jobs from the country’s 275,000 council staff.

However, it is the frank admission of the impact on services that will possibly cause most alarm.

In the education sector, town halls have warned they must cut teachers, limit free school transport and raise the price of school meals to balance the books. Sheltered housing services face cuts, while crucial anti-drugs initiatives will also be slashed.

A host of current charges for services will also be increased to create greater revenues, including hikes in waste collection fees for businesses. Councils will also charge more for leisure services.

Pat Watters, COSLA president, said: ‘These are difficult financial times for everyone – from individuals in their own home to councils delivering major services like education and social care.’

Sir John Elvidge, Scotland’s most senior civil servant, last week warned that compulsory redundancies are also on the cards across the whole of the country’s public sector.