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Clackmannanshire Council budget plan hailed

Clackmannanshire Council budget plan hailed

Members of Clackmannanshire Council will consider detailed budget proposals at a special meeting on Friday.

A consultation on potential savings was carried out late last year in a bid to cut spending by £7.5 million, following £14m of budget savings over the past three years.

The final details have yet to be unveiled publicly.

However, independent councillor Archie Drummond praised the proposals for steering clear of “the more unpalatable options”.

He said: “From a personal perspective, I particularly welcome the detailed contributions from the parent councils at Tillicoultry Primary School and Alva Academy; Hillfoots Music for Youth; the feedback from both community councilsin my ward and those individual constituents whose comments show clearly that they thought long and hard about service priorities.

“For the county’s early years children, this budget builds on last year’s investment in enhanced nursery provision and additional qualified teachers.

“This year, with the support of the Scottish Government, we will see a 33% increase in free nursery time for all three to five-year-olds and even more support to two-year-old, cared-for children.”

Mr Drummond described the council’s ongoing commitment to the minimum living wage as “particularly important”.

He also welcomed the continued support for Ochil Leisure Enterprise, £300,000 towards Mill Glen in Tillicoultry, increased investment in small town centre initiatives and a new fund for community development grants.

He added: “I acknowledge again the willingness of Councillor Gary Womersley’s administration to engage with me. I am content that, while my influence is no more than that, the end product is one that I can support.”

The public consultation outlined a number of areas where money could be saved, including cuts to youth services and swimming lessons for primary children, withdrawal of free holiday swimming sessions and removal of learning assistants from primary schools.

Targeted increases in council tax and parking charges are also being considered. Within the council itself there are proposals for a reduction in senior posts and voluntary redundancies, together with changes to staff terms and conditions.