Leader responds to COSLA financial briefing

Leader of the Highland Council responded to the COSLA financial briefing saying:

“The briefing highlights the real issues facing councils. Much of the funding we receive is ring-fenced leaving us fewer and fewer options to make savings. The total allocation of Government funding represents a 2.1% reduction in real terms since 2013-14, with many of our services cut to the bone.

“Local government has been at the front line of Scotland’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and we are far from seeing an end to the pandemic and the devastating impact on our communities. The pandemic and Brexit have severely impacted on the Highland Council’s budget and on income streams in particular. We are also facing increasing prices for goods and shortages of food and construction materials.

“We are doing all we can to repair Highland roads and to improve our vast infrastructure and school estate; to stimulate the economic recovery and protect jobs. The last thing we need is another cut to our core budget in the midst of all this.”