Flowers could be cut as Aberdeenshire Council declares a war on roses amid a major crackdown on “gift” spending.
The cash-strapped local authority has issued increasingly grim warnings about needing to dig out savings wherever possible to balance the books.
And now council accountants have recommended “celebratory gifts” be stopped, which could see dignitaries turning up empty-handed to milestone anniversaries and 100th birthday bashes.
When does Aberdeenshire Council spend money on flowers?
At the moment, Aberdeenshire Council tends to mark certain important events with gifts to residents.
These can include citizenship ceremonies, milestone wedding anniversaries and major birthdays which warrant a visit from the provost.
This “position” has been in place since 1997.
However, officials stress that these have simply “become common practice” – and are not any sort of “obligation or requirement”.
And now they want to completely cut spending on ALL gifts.
This, they say, would be “in line with the instruction to stop all non-essential spend across the council”.
How much do gifts cost cash-strapped council?
Papers going before a business committee meeting next week outline the state of affairs.
First in the firing line is the presents given to new British citizens at ceremonies marking “the final step in their lengthy journey”.
They receive a certificate and a gold medal, which could soon be stopped.
The papers explain: “The council is not obliged to offer a gift although feedback is
that recipients are delighted to receive it.
“Based on current numbers of ceremonies, this comes at an annual cost of approximately £2,000.”
Officials add that this approach is “not widely adopted by other councils”.
In Aberdeen, the council has even stopped putting on tea and biscuits at these events.
What do centenarians get from the council?
Meanwhile, couples fortunate enough to mark 60, 65 or 70 years of wedlock receive a token of goodwill from the local authority.
The same goes for residents reaching their 100th birthday and, in rarer cases, their 105th and every one beyond that.
In these cases, local councillors are invited to attend along with the Lord Lieutenant to
“mark the occasion and provide gifts of flowers and whisky”.
Every year, this comes to a cost of about £3,000, though this doesn’t include travel expenses.
Meanwhile, celebratory cards “are created in-house and can be tailored to the occasion”.
If the new policy is voted through, this card will still be presented but “no gift will be
given”.
Do you think the council should stop giving these gifts? Let us know in our comments section below
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