Blog offers say in Highlands savings plan

A BUDGET blog has been opened by a cash-strapped council to give the public their say on how to save £36 million over the next three years.

The blog, published on the Highland Council webpage yesterday, started with a discussion on education and will change subjects every ten days until the end of June. The authority needs to make savings of nearly 60m by 2013 and has already identified 11m to cut over each of the next two years.

Council budget leader David Alston said: "We have posed some big questions in our consultation documents and intend engaging with as wide an audience as possible in addressing the budget challenges.

"Already some very good ideas are coming forward."