A SPECIAL meeting of Argyll and Bute Council yesterday (Thursday) was expected to approve ‘high level’ measures to slash spending over the next three financial years. Councillors were facing stark financial facts in the papers before them: an estimated £20 million black hole in the budget between 2018 and 2021, and swingeing cuts and job losses to help save £11 million – just over half the shortfall – with more needed in the near future.
Plans include dozens of redundancies as well as raising charges for environmental and animal health services, cutting the number of council depots, increasing parking charges, shutting down 36 of 57 public toilets, starting a funeral director service, scrapping the road safety unit, removing the renewable energy budget and stopping funding Visit- Scotland.
Last Thursday, the policy and resources committee agreed to refer the budget decision to yesterday’s full council meeting and, if approved, it will head to a public consultation in November.