£112k to keep council comfy while charity plea ignored

COUNCILLORS have been accused of not living in the "real world" after voting to spend £112,000 on furniture for their meetings – while turning down a plea for £8000 to save a charity.

During a heated debate, local politicians were yesterday challenged to decide if they were a "compassionate or callous council" by Labour's Gordon Munro, who said he would give up his desk and chair if it meant safeguarding the future of the Senior Action Group Edinburgh (Sage). Lorna Copland, director of Sage, said: "We're disappointed ... What's a chair compared to an older person's voice and quality of life?"

Ms Copland said the organisation would now have to issue redundancy notices and wait to find out if another lottery bid is successful later in the year.

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Union leaders also rounded on the Lib Dem/SNP administration and said that while workers were struggling with higher food and fuel costs, politicians were considering plans to deck out the city in flags and banners.

But health and social care leader Paul Edie said groups like Sage were "autonomous bodies that have to look after themselves", while council leader Jenny Dawe complained that the current desks and chairs were "not even comfortable to use".

The administration accused Labour of using Sage as a "political football", and argued that revenue and capital budgets could not be separated.

Sage, which has represented the views of people in care homes since 1994, is the only organisation of its kind in Scotland. But its lottery funding has now run out, and the group requested 8000 to be able to maintain services until after Christmas.

The vote at yesterday's meeting was split 29-29 after Labour, the Conservatives and the Greens joined forces and made Lord Provost George Grubb use his casting vote. Councillors later voted 40-18 in favour of spending 112,000 to repair chairs and desks for monthly meetings. The move was opposed by Labour and the Greens.

Labour group leader Andrew Burns said: "For the sake of 8000, we could choose not to spend 112,000 on desks and chairs and we could spend it on an organisation like Sage."

Fixing the 64 historic desks and chairs will cost an average of 800 per piece of furniture, while councillors also recently agreed that proposals to spend 1.3 million on flags and banners for major events should be the "way forward".

Kevin Duguid, acting staff-side secretary for public sector union Unison, told councillors: "Our members are shaking their heads in disbelief. In the real world, our members are struggling. To even consider spending that money leaves a bitter taste."

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The Tories said the council "owes it to the older generation to help Sage", but also insisted the authority has "a historic duty to restore the tables and chairs".

Cllr Edie said Sage should approach neighbourhood partnerships for additional funds, and said it would be "illegal" to spend the furniture money on the charity.

"I have no leeway in the health and social care budget to bail them out, so what other organisation would we cut to fund this 8000?" he asked.

Cllr Dawe defended the decision to refurbish the furniture by saying: "We should take this opportunity to keep a bit of history, create a really good interior in the Chamber."

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