Lollipops persons, binmen and elderly people have all been targeted for cuts in the SNP budget.
By Bill Heaney
The SNP would have us believe that they are the Bravehearts who will deliver an independent Scotland if only we would vote for them.
However, the SNP are far from brave and, when you look where they are targeting their swingeing cuts to come and imposing council tax hikes across the board, they are more hard hearted than then the bravehearts they would have you believe.
MSP Jackie Baillie has told how years of under-funding from the SNP has led to West Dunbartonshire residents facing swathes of cuts to services.
A range of possible measures has been revealed by West Dunbartonshire Council in a bid to plug a £5.5 million budget gap, which they threaten could increase to over £6.5 million if council tax is frozen, which it won’t be.
Labour’s Jackie Baillie and Martin Rooney vow to oppose the SNP cuts in services.
Some of the proposed savings options including removing school crossing patrollers, axing the Care of Garden scheme which provides lifeline support to elderly residents and a £100k reduction in school budgets.
Plans on the table also include reducing operating hours of civic amenity sites, costing up to two jobs as well as moving to a three-weekly bin collection cycle which would see three staff members on the scrapheap.
Another proposal is ditching rates relief for charities leaving non-profit organisations worse-off despite spiralling costs and limited fundraising revenue throughout the pandemic.
Members will set the budget next month following discussions with trade unions.
The “bravehearts” have targeted the lollipop men and women, the binmen, old folk and charities which help people who are struggling, many of them who use food banks and have no surplus income to meet the soaring energy costs coming down the line.
Jackie Baillie said: “The predicament that West Dunbartonshire Council finds itself in is as a result of 14 years of under-funding by the SNP Government.
“An area like this needs proper investment, not cuts, and certainly not ones which affect huge swathes of our community.
“Councils deliver vital local services. We need to support our people, our workforce and our communities. The SNP leadership of West Dunbartonshire Council needs to get a grip and stand up to their SNP bosses in Edinburgh to demand a fairer funding deal for our local area.”
West Dunbartonshire Labour leader Martin Rooney said: “Cutting funding to areas like ours means services and jobs are squeezed, council tax and charges are increased and more families are plunged into poverty at a time when prices for everyday essentials are going through the roof.
“The poorest will be disproportionately affected as they rely more on the services that local councils provide and end up paying a greater cost for SNP government failures.”
Cut the inefficiency.. Cut the golden goodbyes for senior staff. Cut the waste.
Saying that to balance the budget the council need to get rid of three bin men and two recycling centre operators through reducing collections and reducing recycling centre opening times is just absolute nonsense.
With this nonsense you can imagine people taking their rubbish and dumping it. And that’s probably the council’s intention. Like the grass cutting fiasco a few years ago you could be forgiven for thinking the corporate plan is to make the area look like a dump.
Garde Loo, feed the country side, that’s the message.