A bright, new future for Edinburgh - was it not:
- "Council finances are now back onto a stable course" - Councillor Dawe, Council Leader
- "We now have the budget under control" - Councillor MacLaren, Convener of Education
Now then, just look at the Month 3 (yes, only Month 3!) financial figures for the Council's two largest Departments (you'd better sit down first, if you have a weak constitution) ...
- first, have a read at paragraph 3.1 here - which shows a £4.4million projected overspend in the Health & Social Care Department budget at the end of Month 3
- worse still, have a look at paragraph 3.1(a) here - which shows a £8.9million projected overspend in the Education, Children & Families Department budget at the end of Month 3
In both of these Departments, further significant management actions (code for yet more front-line services cuts?) are now being employed to bring these budgets into line.
Financial competence?
Sadly, as I've said before, this is NOT now a Council which is 'service-driven' ...
... but the mechanistic-approach adopted last February - one of "knowing the cost of everything but the value of nothing" - also now appears to be failing miserably.
Not good for Edinburgh, not good at all.
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