Highland Council officers make council tax freeze recommendation

Budget saving proposals of £54m are underpinned by the need to invest in change to deliver recurring and sustainable cost reduction, income generation, redesign and efficiency savings according to the local authority.

Through the financial strategies and savings plans set out in the budget report, the Council believes it can achieve a balanced budget position for 2024/25, and also progress delivery of significant change programmes, underpinned by use of Reserves, to support the council to achieve a financially sustainable position.

The savings proposed are based across four themes and include: Insourcing more services such as bus transport; streamlining management structures and reducing management costs; reducing the number of council owned buildings; increased fees and charges; introducing more tourist income and enhanced green energy generation.

Another £100m of investment could also be possible if proposals are agreed while £32.3m of reserves are proposed to support and invest in change and redesign. This includes £20m to support Adult Social Care.

A sum of £1.2m to support training, mentoring and specialist support in areas such as health and social care.

Up to £60m of capital can be released with an additional £1m per annum of investment in loan charge budgets over three years. The aim would be to significantly boost the council’s opportunity to invest in important capital projects such as roads and infrastructure.

A cash pot of £6m has been proposed for property maintenance, with £2m per annum funding over three years, met from reserves. The council has over 3,000 assets and much of the school estate and depots are in urgent need of repairs.

An additional £37m has been earmarked to meet inflationary and other cost pressures.

Convener Bill Lobban said: “Investment is fundamental to supporting the necessary transformation in order to redesign our services and maximise our income generation and release longer term savings.

“Funding change over a three year period allows substantial changes to take place and be sustainable.”

Leader of the Council Raymond Bremner added: “We have recently had to make difficult decisions on our capital programme due to the difficult financial context we find ourselves in.

“An additional £60m, while not an answer to everything, would go some way towards us being able to invest in important capital projects, while not putting undue pressure on our reserves.”

The budget papers will be published here on Thursday

www.highland.gov.uk/budget.