Aberdeen’s historic Beach Ballroom could be mothballed as the council rolls out its proposed 2025 budget cuts.
Meanwhile, theatres and swimming pools could come under threat as bodies like Aberdeen Performing Arts and Sport Aberdeen face the prospect of major cash blows.
Grit bins could go unfilled during winter, people could have to pay to park at the seafront and parking permit charges could rocket again.
Residents will also see their council tax payments soar by 11% under drastic action plans drawn up by senior local authority accountants.
And streetlights could be left off to save £1.2m in energy costs.
Finance chiefs have revealed a list of potential savings to be decided at a crunch meeting on Wednesday, March 5, as they battle to plug an £18 million black hole.
Aberdeen budget 2025: What could happen to the Beach Ballroom?
The iconic Beach Ballroom is a few years year shy of its centenary, and has hosted bands as legendary as The Beatles in its near-century at the seafront.
But councillors are being asked to consider three options for its future, each of which would save £150,000.
They could either “transfer or sell” the venue, or outsource its operations to an external provider to run it for the council.
The other option would be to mothball the beloved facility, meaning it would close for an undetermined spell.
It comes following fears that the council’s decision to waylay future spending on its multi-million-pound beach masterplan could leave the Beach Ballroom “marooned” as it sits next to the flattened site of the demolished Beach Leisure Centre.
The tenured entertainment complex had previously been tipped for a glitzy makeover as part of the seaside spending spree…
What about council tax?
Officials say an 11% council tax rise is needed in Aberdeen, now that the Scottish Government has lifted any limits on the levy.
Finance boss Jonathan Belford says “consideration must be given to exercising discretion over council tax to address unexpected cost pressures and financial risks”.
As well as inflation, these include increasing healthcare costs and National Insurance contribution increases.
Like its counterparts in Aberdeenshire, the Aberdeen Health and Social Care Partnership is in dire need of financial assistance – after draining all its savings over the last year.
The body is funded by the council and NHS Grampian, and Mr Belford is keen for the local authority to set aside at least £2.5m to help redress the cash crisis.
Meanwhile the increased National Insurance contributions could set the council back by as much as £8m.
Mr Belford says the 11% rise would “generate sufficient funding to meet the additional costs”.
How does Aberdeen council tax rise compare to the rest of Scotland?
The proposed 11% rise in Aberdeen council tax is currently the highest that has been put forward across the country.
North Lanarkshire, East Lothian and Scottish Borders councils voted for 10% increases, while Fife went for 8.2% and councillors in Edinburgh backed an 8% hike.
From the big cities that have rubber-stamped the council tax increase, Glasgow is currently the lowest with 7.5%.
Aberdeenshire Council yesterday announced they want to take rates up by 10% too. This will go before elected members for approval on Thursday.
And Highland Council is expected to raise council tax by between 5% and 7%.
Councillors in several other local authorities are yet to release their budget proposals for the year ahead, with Dundee projecting the highest possible one of 29% rise.
But as things stands at the minute, Aberdeen residents might be the ones hit the hardest by the lifting of the national freeze…
Here is how much each bill will change if the 11% increase is approved:
Streets could become icier if grit bins are abandoned
Following a cold snap at the turn of the year, several streets across Aberdeen were left in a hazardous state as the cash-strapped council adopted a “minimal” approach to gritting.
Bombarded by angry residents, the authority’s SNP co-leader Christian Allard urged people to make more use of the communal grit bins in their areas.
However, these too come under threat in the latest list of proposed cutbacks.
The option to remove salt bags and bins across Aberdeen would save £50,000 in the 2025 budget.
Would it cost more to park?
Parking fees, both for parts of the city centre where charges apply and at car parks, could rise to recoup £89,000.
Permits for residents could go up again, after a few increases in recent years, to bring in £207,000 across the year ahead.
The council is also threatening to impose parking charges at Aberdeen Beach – which would raise £200,000.
How would arts sector be hit?
Aberdeen Performing Arts, which is still doing its best to recover from the pulverising impact of the pandemic, could be hit by funding cuts of £46,000 across each of the next three years.
Alongside that, there is another more immediately harmful option… Which would see £700,000 snatched away for the year ahead.
Meanwhile, councillors will be asked to ponder the “phased reduction” of funding to culural programmes – which would claw back £420,000.
And the Tolbooth Museum and Provost Skene’s House could have their opening times cut to save £10,000.
Entry fees could be charged at the Winter Gardens in Duthie Park to amass £500,000.
And what about swimming pools?
Two years ago, Aberdeen City Council sparked outcry by slashing its grant to Sport Aberdeen – despite warnings that this blow would leave the body no option but to shutter Bucksburn Swimming Pool and the Beach Leisure Centre.
There is now a fresh £450,000 cut being proposed for the year ahead.
Aberdeen Sports Village funding could also have its grant slashed by £62,000.
Could workers be left out of pocket too?
The proposed savings have been made public more than a week before the crunch meeting, which is something of a change from the norm.
Their early release left protesting workers and union leaders surprised as they staged a demonstration against the council’s controversial “last resort” threat to fire and rehire workers to save on its staff bill on Saturday.
And workers already at odds with their employer will be further dismayed to see some of the ways they could be targeted to claw back millions of pounds.
The papers suggest that £3m could be secured in the years ahead by rolling out a “workplace parking levy” – meaning staff would have to pay to park at their workplace.
A “staff and elected member parking charge” at ALL city centre properties is also mooted – which would claw back £500,000.
‘That’s disgusting’
News of the proposed council tax rise and other budget measures left many at Saturday’s demonstration dismayed.
“How can they justify that?” Tess Stuart, a social worker, said.
“I’ve been employed with the council for over 20 years. It’s getting worse.
“Reducing our pay will affect our annual leave, our pensions, everything. And then this rise and all other bills increasing too has a knock-on effect.”
Mel Watson, Aberdeen city branch secretary for Unison, said the proposed figure was higher than she had expected.
“That’s disgusting,” she said.
“Our members are all going to be worse off. It’s all shocking.”
Will I have to pay for my brown bin AGAIN?
There has been something of a saga around Aberdeen’s brown bin fees for the past few years.
The controversial £30 “garden tax” was finally axed in 2024, more than a year after its main detractors from the Liberal Democrat group came into a power-sharing agreement at the helm of the council.
Now, the Lib Dems and their Aberdeen SNP colleagues are being asked to think about reinstating it in the 2025 budget – to raise £570,000 in 2025.
Schools could become dirtier…
Schools all over Aberdeen could be hit in the 2025 budget too.
For one thing, they could be getting a bit grimier.
A reduction in cleaning hours at all buildings would save £600,000.
But the cuts wouldn’t stop there, with counselling services at risk in a £233,000 savings suggestion.
A reduction in speech and language therapy, which caused uproar in Aberdeenshire last year, is being put forward too.
This would save £200,000.
Meanwhile, the Fairer Aberdeen Fund – which was set up especially “to tackle poverty and deprivation” – could endure a £757,000 cut under the proposals.
What do you think of the proposals? Let us know in our comments section below
Could tourism cash be cut in Aberdeen budget for 2025?
Funding to the VisitAberdeenshire tourism body could be reduced by £130,000 in the year ahead.
A sum of £93,000 “allocated to the promotion of the city” could be axed too.
Why are all these cuts needed?
In his report, Mr Belfod warns: “It has never been as important to be financially resilient as it is now.
“It is even more important that the council remain vigilant in the management of these financial risks, ensuring the council is prepared to address a very volatile and complex financial environment.”
The finance guru also blames a “massive rise in inflation and a cycle of market and price volatility and shortages across many commodities”.
He says this is still “having a negative impact on the delivery of capital projects”.
All of the savings options presented by officials would save £19m.
It is likely councillors will spare many items from the chopping block, but Mr Belford is urging members to consider all options.
He states: “If the entirety of options were accepted as presented, plus an increase in council tax as recommended, then a balanced budget would be achieved, with a surplus assisting in the delivery of future year saving requirements.”
You can see the full Aberdeen budget papers for 2025/26 on the council’s website.
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