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How SBC’s budget will hit
Scottish Borders Council’s departments, what they do and how the 2012/13 budget will affect them. Figures do not include more than £2million of efficiency savings approved in November
Environment and infrastructure
z 2012/13 budget: £31,288. FTE staff: 920.
z Services include (gross spending minus income): roads (£6.436million); fleet management (surplus of £215,000); passenger transport (£2.202million); managing major projects (£415,000); waste collection (£8.695million); SB wardens (£264,000); safer communities (£410,000); neighbourhood, including parks, burial grounds, street cleaning and SB local squads (£7.413million); planning (£441,000), regulatory services for food, health and safety, pest control, trading standards etc (£1.280million); economic development (£1.510million); and business support (£1.534million).
z Net inflationary costs: £10,000.
z Service developments (extra spending) of £400,000 for additional maintenance of roads, pavements and drainage.
z Efficiency savings include reduced secondary cutting of roadside verges on B, C and D class roads (£20,000); transfer of responsibility to private developers for linking developments to road network (£20,000); closure of public toilets at Meldons, Peeblesshire (£17,000); reduction in seasonal staff (£48,000); targeted cuts in overtime, staff training and use of external consultants (£172,000); extra income from additional transport fares (£49,000), new charges for bulky uplifts (£21,000); and introduction of £100 fee for pre-planning application advice (£15,000).
z Service rationalisations (cuts) including savings on roads maintenance by installing modern fittings (£43,000) and filling two roads vacancies with qualified trainees (£36,000).
Chief Executive and Resources
z 2012/13 budget: £19.316million (resources) and £1.368million (chief executive). Full time equivalent (FTE) staff: 694.
z Services include (gross spending minus income): strategic leadership and implementation of policy (£657,000); assessor and electoral registration (£711,000); financial management support (£3.055million); customer services, including contact centres (£2.042million); human resources (£1.391million); legal services £2.026million); business solutions (£6.538million); property and facilites management (£531,000); office maintenance etc (£1.594million); catering (£429,000); and cleaning (£373,000).
z Net inflationary costs for overheads (utilities, insurance etc): £130,000.
z Service developments (extra spending) of £584,000, including meeting demographic and other service pressures (£79,000); £40,000 to support community grants in relation to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (£40,000); another year’s funding for Abbotsford Trust (£40,000); and reduction in relief for council-owned empty properties (£120,000).
z Efficiency savings include savings from merging libraries and contact centres (£78,000) and the closure of the former trading standards building at St Dunstans in Melrose and Selkirk social work office £25,000).
social work
z 2012/13 budget: £75,625. FTE staff: 1,389.
z Services include (gross spending minus income): adults with learning disabilities (£13.517million); people with physical disabilities (£2.714million); people with mental health needs (£2.172million); generic services and staff teams (£4.641million); housing, including welfare benefits service and homelessness service (£2,639million); and criminal justice £1.143million).
z Net inflationary costs for overheads (utilities, insurance, etc): £120,000.
z Service developments (extra spending) of £1.674 million, including an increase in the number of children accommodated and looked after (£734,000); additional transport to meet client demand (£400,000); and increase in weekly foster care allowances (£350,000).
z Efficiency savings include a reduction in social care and health staff by voluntary severance/early retirement (saving £357,000); and a reduction of 10 beds out of 700 for clients in residential homes (£145,000).
z Service rationalisations (cuts), including reduction of maximum level of respite for six weeks to four weeks for older people (£48,000); cessation of Home Energy Advice Service (£17,000); and reduction in staff training budget (£150,000).
Education and lifelong learning
z 2012/13 budget: £94,182million. FTE staff: 1,668.
z Services include (gross spending minus income): secondary schools (£39.184million); primary schools (£30,852million); transport (£3.234million); school meals (£1.448million); central management (£1.558million); community physical activities (£2.519million); community learning and development, youth work etc (£2.430million); community arts (£277,000); libraries and information (£1.837million); and museums and galleries (£937,000).
z Net inflationary costs for overheads (utilities, insurance etc): £136,000.
z Service developments (extra spending) of £268,000, including meeting pupil demand for clothing and footwear allowance (£45,000); continued support for the Eastgate Theatre in Peebles (£11,000); and refurbishment projects for schools across the region (£200,000).
z Efficiency savings include reduction in holiday pay of supply teachers (£205,000); more effective monitoring of PPP contracts for Earlston, Berwickshire and Eyemouth high schools (£100,000); review of passenger transport (£125,000); engagement of probationary teachers (£44,000); and early retirements/voluntary severance across department (£125,000).
z Service rationalisations (cuts) including a reduction in the training budget (£54,000).
other functions
z 2012/13 budget: £42.416million.
z Costs include the repayment of loan charges to finance capital expenditure (£21.349million); a property maintenance fund to meet the cost of repairs and maintenance to SBC-owned buildings (£2.089million); discretionary housing benefits not funded by subsidy from the Department of Work and Pensions (£58,000); non-domestic rates not funded nationally (£150,000); requisition to Lothian and Borders Police Board to meet cost of police services in Borders (£9.661million); requisition to Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service (£7.371million); and net cost of business transformation at SBC (£984million).
z Service developments (extra spending) of £151,000 to police board and £58,000 for more discretionary housing benefit payments.
z Efficiency savings of £101,000 including a decrease in loan interest (£29,000) and a decrease in fire requisition (£64,000).
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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