Public urged to take part in Highland Council budget consultation
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PEOPLE across the north have been urged to get involved in Highland Council's budget consultation exercise which gets under way in the new year.
The plea was made as a report from the Accounts Commission revealed that over the past six years funding for councils from the Scottish Government has been cut by 7.6 per cent and is due to reduce further as demand for services continues to grow.
Accounts Commission chairman Graham Sharp said: "There’s a need for councils to continue rethinking how they deliver services, as well as looking at ways to increase their income. For some councils in Scotland, finding ways to do this is getting more and more difficult as their current income doesn’t match demand."
The publication of the report for 2018/19 reinforces the need for council tax payers in the Highland region to engage in the budget consultation process, according to chairman of the corporate resources committee, Councillor Alister Mackinnon.
He said: "Highland Council’s budget engagement will focus on efficiency, building reserves, increasing income and restructuring to enable a more flexible workforce which will strengthen the local economy and protect jobs."
Councillor Mackinnon added: "It’s vital that people in Highland take part in the council’s budget engagement processes in January. It will only be with local information, choices and preferences expressed that councillors will be able to make the very difficult budget-setting decisions that we face ahead of us to set next year’s budget."
Despite the bleak financial outlook the Accounts Commission recognised the investment Highland is making in housing and its transparency in financial management reporting.
The report states: "Investment has led to an increase in the number of council houses. We are now seeing the effect of housing investment and the end of the right-to-buy scheme leading to an increase in social housing stock. Highland – among other councils – has also increased its housing stock, by more than 100 homes."
The report also praised the council for on its financial management and transparency.
