Council agrees budget for 2013-14

February 14, 2013 at 7:58 pm

Orkney Islands Council has today set its budget for the next financial year.

At a meeting in Kirkwall today, OIC elected members agreed that £80 million will be spent on running council services during 2013-14.

Councillors also agreed:

A £1.1 million savings target for the next financial year to be achieved through efficiency measures, with cuts to council services avoided wherever possible.
To freeze council tax levels for another year, with the Band D rate continuing to be £1,037.
That charges for council services should increase by at least three per cent in 2013-14 with some exceptions – including inter-island ferry fares which will remain at current levels.
To continue council support for the voluntary sector by providing a one per cent increase in funding.

OIC convener, Councillor Steven Heddle, said: “The council is in a sound financial position as we look to the year ahead, but a number of factors mean that there continues to be a need for us to find savings in 2013-14.”

These include inflation, rising fuel and utility costs, the likelihood of a one per cent pay award for staff, and an increasing demand for council services.

According to the OIC, it is likely that a “small number of posts” will need to be reduced during 2013-14, but, a spokesman said, when jobs are affected, “all reasonable steps will be taken to avoid compulsory redundancies through measures such as voluntary redundancy, redeployment and retraining.”