Those grants and voluntary orgs.

Back to those grants and voluntary organisations I'm afraid - sorry ... I do think exposing the reality of what's happening is rather important, especially given the opaqueness of the proposals before the Council tomorrow.

I'm just going to concentrate on the Children and Families area here - remember those ACTUAL budget-lines from the approved Lib/Nat Council Budget for 2008/09:

• “reduction in commissioned services and grants” = £203,000
• “efficiencies in services previously funded by earmarked grants” = £639,000

... well, the report that is going before the Full Council tomorrow only contains some £28,002 worth of "reduction in commissioned services and grants" (see Appendix 4) and NOTHING in relation to "efficiencies in services previously funded by earmarked grants".

So here's the full breakdown that many people want to keep as quiet as possible:


Reduction in commissioned services and grants (£203,000)

• in the report savings of £28,002 are proposed
• grants contingency of £70,153 being utilised

• Playgroup grants - total savings of £27,345
• Pilton Equality Project - proposed saving of £8,500
• Volunteer Centre Edinburgh - proposed saving of £12,000
• Counselling services on sexual health - proposed savings of £11,000
• Scottish Adoption - proposed saving of £46,000

Efficiencies in services previously funded by earmarked grants (£639,000)

• Adoption services - £8,000
• Corporate Parenting - £9,000
• European Languages - £12,000
• Fostering and Kinship - £18,000
• Free School Meals P1 to P3 - £8,000
• Improving Fostering Services - £20,000
• ISMS - £76,000
• National Priorities Action Fund - £414,000
• Social Work Training - £6,000
• Student Teacher Placement - £4,000
• Youth Justice - £55,000
• Youthwork for Delivery - £9,000

I wonder how many of the 29 Lib-Dem/SNP Councillors realise they're about to cut these sums from all the services listed above?

Would be interesting (if not depressing) to get a true answer to that query ...