Revised budget grants additional £900k for council services

Orkney Islands Council (OIC) is to be given an additional £914,000 by the Scottish Government next year as part of the Scottish budget process.

The government announced yesterday afternoon that local authorities in Scotland will be given an extra £160 million — including capital — to support local services.

Also as part of the revised budget, £25 million is to be given to Police Scotland over the next ten years and £35 million is to go to Scottish Enterprise to support the economy.

Commenting this afternoon, OIC convener Steven Heddle said the extra money is a step in the right direction but added that it is important to stress that the council’s funding from the Scottish Government is still being reduced by £1.1 million.

He said: “When setting our budget for 2017-18 we also have to factor in the ever-increasing demand for the services the council provides.

“It means that budget setting is a challenging process. A great deal of effort goes into finding ways to mitigate the impact on our community, but we will still need to consider a range of savings and funding options when the Policy and Resources Committee meets next week to debate the council’s budget for the year ahead.”