Clackmannanshire Council Online

Council freezes council tax for third year

Council tax has again been frozen in Clackmannanshire, with the Council delivering a balanced budget at its meeting on 11th February.

Efficiencies totalling £6 million have allowed investment in front line services to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

While we have tried as much as possible to protect jobs, it is inevitable that the number of jobs at the Council will reduce in the coming years via vacancy management, retirement and restructuring.

We are protecting the vital services the Council supports the voluntary sector to provide, with most groups receiving the same level of funding as before.

Despite the need to make unprecedented savings, we will be investing additional resources into key areas. These include:

• providing free school meals for children in Primary 1 - 3, reaching 20% of children in the most deprived areas in Clackmannanshire.
• paid for school meals remaining at the same price as they have done for the last six years
• reducing class sizes in Primary 1 - 3 with 20% of classes having less than 18 children
• additional investment in the recycling service so that Clackmannanshire can play its part in Zero Waste Scotland
• increasing the amount of respite care available
• investing in our ICT infrastructure

Council leader Janet Cadenhead said: "It's been a tough budget year for Clackmannanshire Council - as it has across the public sector. We are redistributing spending to the areas where it is most needed and meeting our concordat commitments. We have tried as much as possible to protect frontline services. We are not in a unique situation, and across Scotland today councils are facing similar challenges.

"While a balanced budget has been agreed for 2010/11, we are already anticipating budget shortfalls in 2011/12 and 2012/13. We need to start planning immediately to ensure future financial stability. This will definitely include a dialogue with community, to ensure that the services our residents feel are the most important are protected, and changes made where necessary.

"Staffing is our biggest expenditure and we need to move towards a sustainability staffing level and reorganise the service to ensure crucial services continue at the level council taxpayers expect."