Cash-strapped Aberdeenshire Council is considering hiking council tax by 20%, ending vital flood protection work and cutting school staff to help balance the books.
The hard-up local authority has launched an online survey revealing which public services could be changed, reduced or ended altogether.
Council chiefs are keen to hear from residents on what cuts they could potentially stomach as they consider how to get to grips with a forecast £26 million budget gap in 2024-25.
In this article, we reveal Aberdeenshire Council is considering deep cuts next year as leader Gillian Owen makes it clear: “We no longer have enough money”…
- Disruption and class merging midway through the school year if pupil numbers dip – and potential nursery closures
- Limited street lighting, the bare minimum gritting on the roads and flood defence schemes and bus services under pressure
- Mothballing leisure facilities and considering the future of health and social care in Aberdeenshire
- Could you stomach a 20% council tax rise to save vital public services from the axe?
This year, Aberdeenshire Council spent around £750m delivering services.
It also set aside £95m to invest in its infrastructure, schools, buildings, roads and IT services.
However, it is under increasing financial pressure as costs are rising and demand is growing.
What can be found in the survey?
Those taking the survey will be met with a number of questions and asked to rank matters from most to least important.
Participants can also leave additional comments for the council to consider as part of its wider budget setting.
Residents will be asked to rank the proposals the council should focus on most in the year ahead.
The poll includes ideas including reducing staffing, how the council operates and even adjusting the capital plan – the big-money infrastructure projects like building homes and schools.
How could schools be affected?
Staying with schools, there are also options on potential changes to the Aberdeenshire school estate.
These include the removal of extra staff in primaries and secondaries who were initially there to help after Covid.
Teachers are currently allocated to primaries based on the number of pupils expected at the start of the school year.
However, if numbers are lower than anticipated, some schools could cut down on the number of classes after the October break.
Another possible change could bring about the closure of council nurseries and early learning and childcare (ELC) provision if there is capacity elsewhere locally.
And council-run preschools could be closed or run reduced services over the school holidays.
Gritting and flood defences in firing line
And there are proposals based on the local authority’s infrastructure services – which could place the burden of protecting homes from flooding on the residents.
An option outlined is for the council to stop all of its flood protection, with communities instead expected to develop their own.
Council chiefs are also thinking about scaling back road gritting to only be done in the morning – despite warnings in Aberdeen that climate change means melting ice is washing away treatments several times a day.
On top of that, they are considering reducing repair work on Aberdeenshire’s straining bridges.
This comes as many of the region’s 1,800 crossings face uncertain futures, with Aboyne Bridge currently unable to bear the weight of vehicles any more.
Other ideas include lights in residential streets only being switched on during the darkest winter months, and sandbags and grit bins no longer being provided.
Meanwhile, half of the bus routes currently supported by Aberdeenshire Council are under threat.
What about leisure facilities?
Cost cutting could include temporarily closing under-used venues and pavilions during the winter months.
It is exploring new operating models for Macduff Marine Aquarium, Stonehaven Open Air Pool and Alford Ski Centre.
And it could put fixed times, programmed and timetables across all of its leisure venues, while prices and memberships could be reviewed.
A link will also be provided for residents to share their views on health and social care services too.
Could I end up paying more as council counts costs?
Aberdeenshire Council is also considering increasing its council tax to help with its budget woes.
As part of the survey, residents will be asked how much they would be willing to pay to protect vital services.
A 5% rise for an average Band D property would equate to an extra £6.97 per month.
This would generate £8.419m for the council but “significant” savings would still be needed.
However, using the same household example, a proposed 20% council tax hike would result in a monthly increase of £27.87.
If this was the preferred option, the local authority would take in £33.712m and there would be no need for savings elsewhere.
In fact, the council would have extra cash to invest in its top priorities.
Aberdeenshire Council leader: ‘We need to change’
Aberdeenshire Council leader Gillian Owen urged residents to use this opportunity to say what they think.
She said: “The impact from inflation, pay awards, construction costs and the cost-of-living crisis all continue to impact on the council as much as they are impacting household budgets.
“We no longer have enough money to do the things we did five or 10 years ago and we need to change.”
She added: “With the limited resources it is clear we can no longer afford the current level of public services so we either need to stop some services or they need to be done differently.
“What services matter most to you, what should we protect, and in protecting those things what can we realistically stop?”
The budget survey is available online and paper copies can be found in libraries or service points across the region.
Read more
- Parking charges soar but gritting spared as we reveal full scale of budget cuts across Aberdeenshire
- Closure threat for Aberdeenshire schools as cash-strapped council fears bad winter could ravage reserves
- Plea to spare no expense on Aberdeenshire gritting – despite schools facing threat of cuts as cash runs dry
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