Budget (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at 4:20 pm on 10 February 2000.

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Photo of Nick Johnston Nick Johnston Conservative 4:20, 10 February 2000

It is most unlike me, but I wish for once to be parochial. Last Thursday, I sat in on the meeting between the minister and Perth and Kinross Council on its budget difficulties. Mr Raffan, who has left the chamber, was there, too. I am not trying to pre-empt the local government settlement debate, but I feel that what I will say is relevant to the budget debate.

I would like to highlight the concerns of my local council, which are reflected across Scotland. I will do so to illustrate the impact of the Executive's agenda on people in our towns and villages. Perth and Kinross Council is one of the most efficient in Scotland. It has developed innovative solutions to service provision, which are bringing positive financial benefits. However, those benefits will be fully realised only in the longer term. The council is also fully committed to the principle of best value, and it is delivering the class sizes that the minister mentions. We should acknowledge that its expenditure on service delivery per head is the eighth lowest in Scotland, and further acknowledge that only East Renfrewshire Council and City of Edinburgh Council have fewer staff per head of population. Its council tax levels are among the lowest in Scotland, with increases in council tax in Perth and Kinross of 8 per cent over the past three years compared with a Scottish average of 26 per cent.

The council faces difficult decisions, because of population growth both among the elderly and among what have been described as breeding pairs. Of the schools in Perth and Kinross, 90 per cent are nearing full capacity.

The council's provisional revenue budget is estimated to be £12 million in excess of the expenditure guidelines. In building up the budget, the council believes that it has accurately and honestly reflected the true cost of delivering the same level of service to the citizens of Perth and Kinross as it did in 1999-2000.

The council has identified approximately £8.3 million of savings measures. Those savings represent demanding steps that the council will be forced to adopt in meeting the budget deficit. That is relevant to the debate, because it highlights the impact on the citizens of Scotland of the cuts that are being imposed.

Among the savings are a 10 per cent reduction in school supplies; a reduced budget for behavioural support; a cut of one third in the budget for visiting specialists—for example, music, physical education and art teachers; a reduced budget for roads maintenance; a reduction in the operating budget for residential homes and other social work facilities; a reduction in the budget for the maintenance of playgrounds; a reduced provision for clothing grants; and a reduction in the budget for street sweeping. Other measures include the introduction of a £2-a-week charge for the community alarm service; increased charges for home care; increased senior citizens' fares from a quarter to a half; and an introduction of charges for child health services. Finally, the council will cease all high school bursaries, cease all pre-school home visiting, and freeze the Perthshire Tourist Board grant.

I know that the minister will respond in due course, and I am happy to let him do that. I wanted merely to point out that if that efficient and well-run council can find savings and can collect its arrears in council tax—and I believe that that collection is running at about 94 per cent—there is no reason why every other council in Scotland should not do the same.

I want to put on record the pressures placed on even the most efficient of councils by the Executive's actions. I know that hard decisions have to be made, and we supported the minister when he said that the pot was only so big. But let us have some flexibility in local government settlements, and let us ease the burdens on local councils and local people.