Edinburgh Council leader Jenny Dawe seeks your tips on saving city £92m

Published on Tuesday 17 November 2009 08:55

COUNCIL leader Jenny Dawe has asked residents to help identify ways to save the city more than £90 million.

Councillor Dawe has asked residents and businesses to e-mail her personally about their priorities and about how to minimise the impact of the huge efficiency savings. She said that the feedback will help the council make some of the "hard decisions" that lie ahead.

Opposition councillors say she is likely to be bombarded with requests to stop wasting money on things like a Burns Supper, which the Evening News recently revealed would cost the taxpayer 4,000.

The council estimates that it will need to save at least 92m over the next three years, with each department already told to identify ways to strip out four per cent of their frontline costs in each of the next three years. Support costs are also to be slashed by a tenth next year, followed by another four per cent in each of the two years after.

Cllr Dawe said: "To ensure that we make the right decisions, it is important that we hear a wide range of views.

"I would therefore welcome hearing from as many individuals and organisations as possible about their priorities for the city."

She advised people to e-mail her at [e-mail].

Councillor Andrew Burns, leader of the Labour group on the council, said: "I'll be interested to see the feedback she gets, but I would hope that bringing an end to spending like 4,000 on a Burns Supper will be the sort of thing people recommend.

"The council administration have no track record in making difficult decisions. They've got things wrong a number of times, from school closures to the latest issues with direct payments (for care and support services]. They're just not able to make good decisions."

Cllr Burns also said that the plea for input falls far short of a full consultation on the budget.

"It's a fig leaf, not a consultation," he said. "Opposition groups have not been informed and the decisions are still going to be made behind closed doors."

Councillor Iain Whyte, leader of the Tory group on the council, said: "You are as likely to get as many people saying that they want something cut as will say that the same thing should be saved, so it's not always a good way to do a council budget."

Some of the savings proposed by departments are expected to be revealed later this week, ahead of February's council budget.

Cllr Dawe said: "The council will face many hard decisions in setting the budget in the toughest financial climate for many years."

How should the council save 92 million from its budget?

Ronald Aitken, 55, carer, Pirniefield Bank: "They need to review spending and cut out any duplication or waste."

Jo Aylies, 33, translator, Leith: "The council needs to cut back on any and all projects which are not essential."

Nazar Farid, 36, retailer, Cockburn Street: "They cannot expect people to tell them how to trim their budgets unless they are willing to release details on all council costs."