Cuts target could take over a year to meet, says council chief

Published on Tuesday 26 August 2008 21:56

A TROUBLESHOOTER brought in to help Aberdeen City Council find £50 million of budget savings said yesterday the authority's problems are "unusual, but not extraordinary".

Robert Coomber said he is confident he can help the council achieve its target, but admitted it may take longer than the current financial year to do so.

Mr Coomber was appointed interim chief executive in Aberdeen after Douglas Paterson decided to take early retirement.

It was announced yesterday that the position will be filled permanently by Sue Bruce, who is currently chief executive of East Dunbartonshire Council, possibly at the end of the year.

It was originally estimated that the council needed to make 27 million of savings, but a leaked confidential report later revealed the figure was 49.7 million, the equivalent of 15 per cent of the authority's annual budget.

Thousands of demonstrators have already taken to the streets this year in protest at planned cuts to services.

John Swinney, the finance secretary, has made it clear there will be no extra government cash to help the council balance its books.

During a press conference yesterday, Mr Coomber said other local authorities had faced making large budget cuts over a number of years, but added: "What is unusual here is the attempt to do it over a single year. It is not extraordinary. It is unusual, but not extraordinary."

He said about a quarter of the savings target had "some significant risk", and that the savings could take longer than a year to achieve. "It is public knowledge that there is a significant level of risk about whether savings can be achieved in the current financial year."

A group of experts brought in to help the council with its finances has advised that redundancies will have to be made.

Mr Coomber, 57, is a former chief executive and director of finance at the London borough of Southwark, and has also worked for the City of Westminster, the City of London Corporation and the London borough of Croydon.

He said letters would be sent to Aberdeen council staff shortly asking if they would consider voluntary severance.

But he said Aberdeen's problems were not as bad as other local authorities in the past: "Aberdeen has got some problems, and one or two came out at the same time, which led to a lack of public confidence.

"But some of the services in Aberdeen are among the best in Scotland. I am quite confident this situation can be turned around."

Before the press conference it was revealed Mr Coomber had been briefed by advisers and given a list of possible questions and answers in preparation.

However, during the question and answer session, he used different answers to the ones prepared.

Meanwhile, Ms Bruce will become the council's first woman chief executive.

She has worked in local government for 28 years and has experience in social work and education, areas which were criticised in a damning Accounts Commission report into the Aberdeen crisis.