Clackmannanshire Council Online

Setting the 2014/15 budget

Clackmannanshire Council is facing some extremely difficult and challenging decisions in the lead up to setting the 2014/15 budget.

The Council is facing significant pressures to reduce its costs due to decreased funding from central government, at a time when there is also increasing demand for Council services from local communities.

The Council has already saved £14million over the past three years and it needs to save a further £25million over the next five years.

Council Leader Gary Womersley said: "This position presents an unprecedented level of challenge.

"There is no doubt that the budget setting process for 2014/15 will be extremely challenging. The Council is facing some extremely difficult decisions and it is clear that there is much work to be undertaken to realise the level of savings required.

"In the run up to setting the budget, this Administration remains committed to its principles of transparency and openness."

Faced with considerable challenges over the next five years, the Council has a combination of four main choices available to achieve the level of savings required; it can:

• STOP : stop some or all services that are not mandatory by law;
• REDUCE : reduce service delivery to the national average standard; prioritise services for those most in need;
• CHARGE : introduce charges or decrease subsidies to help pay for some services. This may be needs assessed or applied universally;
• CHANGE : look at radically different service models which will see the way the service is delivered change significantly.

All of these have advantages and disadvantages; there is no ideal solution. It is likely however, that some combination of the above will be required to enable the levels of savings required.

In order to shape our decision making, we will be gathering local people's views on some of the potential choices that face the Council throughout the month of November via an online survey and public events.

A leaflet has also been published which gives background information on the 'thinking' that will help councillors shape the next Council budget, and start to meet the challenges ahead.
Officers have been reviewing what we do and the leaflet includes examples of the kinds of decisions we're currently considering.