Council explains its priorites for next four years
Rosalind GriffithsShetland Islands Council set out its priorities for the next four years in its new corporate plan, published this week.
The corporate plan is described by the council as a “road map” which identifies the opportunities and challenges faced in the period. It shows how the council plans to deliver sustainable services for the future while getting to grips with its own budgetary pressures. This is set against a background of massive changes in national and global economies.
Following the last election, the current council’s priority from an early stage was to get to grips with local authority spending. Members moved quickly to address concerns expressed by the Accounts Commission, and set a medium-term financial plan to take the SIC through to 2017.
By that time, the aim is to have stabilised the authority’s finances, as well as developed services to make them more efficient and effective. The corporate plan sets out the council’s targets and commitments across all its services.
SIC political leader Gary Robinson said: “We’ve learned some tough lessons over the past couple of years, and are working hard at balancing the books and living within our means.
“At the same time we believe passionately in the value and importance of the services we provide to the people of Shetland, and our priority in the coming years is to continue to provide that high quality in the best and most cost-effective manner possible.”
Convener Malcolm Bell added: “The next four years will be critical for Shetland, and this plan demonstrates our commitment to work with our community in taking difficult but sensible decisions based on evidence.
“It is vital we strive to provide the very best services possible within available resources, and we will only be able to do this by working together in Shetland’s interest.”
David Spence
Councillor Gary Robinson partly says in the Council delivering the services it will provide as being ‘ most cost-effective manner possible ‘. What he really probably means and where it most certainly will not be the most cost effective run service at all, is, if this Tory Government gets it’s way, the privatization of all Council Services and where they, the private companies, will run the services (at sub standard levels) at a minimum cost to them but charging the public the maximim (in others words, greed, profit and those contributing to this selfish act, share holders, where this will become more important than the service(s) price so as they can maximize their profits for the minimum of cost. Remember, a Tory does not represent the people, they only represent themselves and what money they can make out for themselves by being share-holders and alike of the companies that will run the services which were previously under state control.
sandy mcmillan
The Council savings may look good in the eyes of the Auditors, not a mention on the poorest pensioners, struggling to make ends meet, David Spence is right when he says that the Councillors are all swayed by the Tory Millionaires, the sooner we get away from England the better, at least Alex Salmond is a down to earth kind of guy, not like Cameron and Company robbing the poor to pay the rich, Gary Robinson has the same running through his veins as Cameron, between the two of them they have left the pensioners of Shetland penniless, what ever happened to the help from the Shetland Islands Council that was promised to the poorest, typical of the 22 of them give them nothing. Attitude of the council (Im a rit jock why care)