A Dundee councillor says £23 million of proposed budget cuts will be discussed on Monday without enough time for “democratic scrutiny.”
Liberal Democrat Fraser Macpherson says more than 500 pages of documents were dumped on councillors last week before a briefing on Wednesday.
They map out the huge cuts to the £382m of investment spending agreed in January for the local authority’s 2023-2028 capital plan budget.
Mr Macpherson says the way the situation has been handled is “no way to run a council.”
He says councillors will likely attend the policy and resources committee on Monday lacking details on the proposed cuts they’re asked to approve.
These include social care, hydrogen buses, and coastal protection works at Dundee Airport but no detailed information on these projects has been provided.
Council leader and SNP member, John Alexander meanwhile says opposition members received “a detailed briefing from senior officers” open to questions.
Mr Alexander said a 30% rise in costs for tenders on projects has forced the fiscal rethink.
He points to “Covid, Brexit and war in Ukraine” as the backdrop to the cuts along with “a significant increase in construction inflation.”
Mr Macpherson agrees economic waves are eroding the council’s budget, but says there is not enough time to gather information for decision-making of this scale.
It’s the land of lastminute dotcom, isn’t it?”
West End Councillor Fraser Macpherson
With party colleagues, the West End councillor is preparing an amendment against the budget cuts.
Mr Macpherson said: “It’s not a lack of willingness on the part of (council) officers, but If you get a briefing with the detail on the Wednesday and the committee is meeting the following Monday…it’s the land of lastminute dotcom, isn’t it?”
He added: “It’s £382 million (the January capital budget) and it’s all done in such a short period. It’s not a way to run a council.”
‘Democratic scrutiny important’
Mr Macpherson continued: “The administration group would have known about this for weeks. I used to be in the administration (in 2009). So, I know the process.
“Whoever’s running the council (must) recognise that democratic scrutiny is important and that the opposition can’t be kept in the dark.
“If you care about democracy, you welcome scrutiny from others,” he added.
He concluded: “It’s not that it’s being denied. It’s the timeframe.
“If it was well-managed, you would have longer to go to departments for detailed discussions on the effects of these cuts on particular services.”
‘A reach to blame our administration’
Responding to Mr Macpherson’s points, John Alexander said: “I think it’s a bit of a reach to suggest that our administration is to blame for a hugely volatile few months which has seen these figures fluctuate greatly, right up to the wire.
“I have no control over national rates of inflation, the impacts of a disastrous and ill-fated Tory ‘mini budget’ or the exponential increases in construction costs and we are all very much dealing with this in real time.”
‘Councillors known for months’
Mr Alexander added: “Councillors in Dundee have known of the ongoing review for months and just like every single council in the UK, our capital programme is stretched because of inflationary pressures.
He added: “It is also the case that reports and papers are shared 10 days in advance with the opposition, in sharp contrast to most other councils across Scotland who give a much reduced period including, ironically, those involving the Liberal Democrats.”
The policy and resources committee will meet online on Monday, from 5pm.
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