A report considered by members of Falkirk Council today (19 December) has highlighted the ongoing c.£20m budget shortfall it continues to face.
Projections have shown the deficit will continue to affect the provision of services and proposals have been put forward by officers in an attempt to redress the issue.
Officers were asked to put forward budget options for members to consider prior to their budget setting meeting on 22 February 2017. In addition, the public were asked to make their views known on proposals to date.
Headline options include
- The potential to raise Council Tax by up to 3% raising £1.7m
- A reduction in the total workforce and changes to terms and conditions
- A reduction in external funding to local organisations
- Further use of Council reserves
Councillor Craig Martin, Leader of Falkirk Council said: “These are the toughest times we have ever faced as a Council and we are looking at significant changes to all aspects of our services.
“The recent Local Government Settlement falls short of what could have been expected especially when local government across Scotland is being so hard hit. In real terms it marks a £10m shortfall in our grant.
“We still have to find £20m in savings and that will inevitably lead to changes to our services as well as a reduction or withdrawal in a number of areas.”
A copy of the full revenue budget report and overview of the Local Government Settlement is available here.