Council denies frontline cutbacks

The council has to make £75m in savings over the coming years

One of Scotland's biggest council's has denied frontline services will be cut as it attempts to plug a £75m funding hole in its budget.

North Lanarkshire Council is among the first in Scotland to reveal details of how efficiency savings.

The council has to save £15m in 2010 - 2011 and then an additional £20m in each of the following three years.

Proposals include cutting teaching assistants, reducing school cleaning and charging for elderly care services.

Council bosses have moved to reassure staff that jobs losses will be kept to a minimum.

In a statement published on the council's intranet chief executive Gavin Whitefield said: "Our aim is to protect frontline services and as far as possible to make up any shortfalls in funding through increased efficiencies.

It is clear that tough decisions will have to be made Cllr Jim McCabe Leader, North Lanarkshire Council

"We have made every effort to ensure the impact on jobs and working conditions is kept to an absolute minimum.

"Where such an impact is unavoidable, we will consult with trades unions about the way forward. There should be no compulsory redundancies as a result of the efficiency proposals for 2010-11."

The efficiency savings proposals were outlined in a budget report due to be considered by the policy and resources committee next week and then the full council at the end of the month.

They include scrapping the provision of foreign language assistants in schools, cutting campus police officers and school psychologists, and reducing the number of teaching positions.

A care home for the elderly could close, saving the council £350,000, existing charges for care services could rise and new charges could be introduced for benefit services that in the past were provided free.

Generating income

Money may also be saved by curtailing school cleaning services, library provision and grass cutting in public spaces.

To generate extra income the council has plans to introduce car parking charges, sell more advertising space on roundabouts and lease ponds at Strathclyde and Drumpellier Parks to leisure boat companies.

The Labour group, which leads the council, has said it will resist introducing charging for services, where there is currently no charge, in the next financial year.

It has already refused certain proposals, including charging for community alarms, which could have generated savings of £1.2m.

Councillor Jim McCabe, Leader of North Lanarkshire Council, said: "It is no secret that North Lanarkshire Council, like every other Scottish local authority, faces a significant reduction in its budget as a result of the global economic crisis and a reduction in settlement from the Scottish government.

"It is also clear that tough decisions will have to be made.

"But one thing this Labour administration has no plans to do in the next year is charge for services where there is no charge or increase charges that already exist outside of normal inflation. "