Martin Ford 05 February 2019

Nearly £1bn cut from Scottish authorities in past eight years

Funding cuts are finally beginning to take their toll as Scottish councils can no longer protect services, according to report published today.

Councils’ performance is beginning to suffer and public satisfaction is falling, the Local Government Benchmarking Framework from the Improvement Service said.

The report found that over the last eight years - despite total revenue funding for councils having fallen by 8.3% in real terms from £10.5bn to £9.6bn - ‘service performance has been maintained remarkably well with improving trends’.

Education and social care spending have been protected, resulting in 16- to 19-year-olds in education, training and employment rising to almost 92% and a record 62% of older people being supported at home.

Reductions of 22% have been made in culture and leisure, planning spending fell 34%, highways budgets have been cut 15% and environmental services budgets have decreased by almost 10%.

The report concluded that in 2017/18 there was ‘indicative evidence across some services covered by the benchmarking framework that performance improvement is slowing down for the first time since 2010/11’.

Improvement Service chair and president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Cllr Alison Evison, said: ‘This report shows that, once again, Scottish local government has risen to the challenge and done a remarkable job in difficult circumstances.

‘The problem now is that, as the report identifies, this will become increasingly difficult as budget cuts over a number of years begin to bite.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Revenues and Benefits Administration Officer

West Northamptonshire Council
£26914 - £27781
The Revenues and Benefits Administration Officer at West Northamptonshire Council provides essential administrative support across the Revenues and Benefits team. The role involves managing emails, indexing documents, raising orders and supporting financi Northampton
Recuriter: West Northamptonshire Council

Strategic Commissioning Manager (Markets Team Manager)

The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council
Negotiable
Drive real change in your community - shape the future of careDrive real change in your community - shape the future of careAt the Royal Borough of Ke England, London, City of London
Recuriter: The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council

Social Worker - Family Finding, Adoption Mid Essex

Essex County Council
£34902.0000 - £50081.0000 per annum
Social Worker - Family Finding, Adoption Mid EssexPermanent, Full Time£34,902 to £50,081 per annum Location
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Sheltered Housing Officer

The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council
£33291 - £34291 per annum
Support residents to live independently in safe, welcoming homes - making every day easier, safer and more connected.Support residents to live indepen England, London, City of London
Recuriter: The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council

Team Leader

Durham County Council
Grade 8 £32,597 - £36,363
Salary
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner