Council consults public over major cuts

An audience of over 120 people met with City leaders to discuss the financial future of Edinburgh, after the release of proposed Scottish budget cuts.

The City summit, based at The Scotsman’s headquarters, discussed the Council’s proposal to cut £90 million from its budget in the next three years. The audience included representatives from public sectors, including NHS Lothian and the fire and police service.

The programme, called ‘Our City, Our Future: Help Us Decide’, is claimed to be the only major local authority conference about budget cuts in Scotland. It will end on Thursday 28 October when a report of findings will be assembled and given to the administration to review.

The past few weeks have included protests by various public service workers in response to the budget cuts. Many face the possibility of reduced incomes whilst others are worried about their job security.

A Question Time-style debate allowed the audience to challenge panel members on the budget planning process and the impact it will have on the future of Edinburgh’s public services. People were encouraged to propose ideas of how organisations could work together to support public sectors and Edinburgh as a robust tourist attraction.

Several representatives from Edinburgh City Council attended the event, including Council leader, Jenny Dawe, Chief Executive, Tom Aitchison and Director of Finance, Donald McGougan.

Jenny Dawe said: “I value the role of local government in providing for society, fairly, equitably and progressively. Public services must, however, be delivered as efficiently, effectively and to as high a standard as possible.”

The objectives of the conference were to ensure that people had a clear understanding of the future of public sector services and the challenges ahead after the budget cuts. The event also provided an opportunity for the public to highlight their views.

The Summit concluded six weeks of meetings and substantial engagements with the Edinburgh community through surveys, the Council's newspaper, and Edinburgh Outlook.

The question of how efficiently the city will function with a 20 percent cut in funds over the next five years is yet to be determined.