More depressing detail from that local budget - and I suspect many of the SNP/Lib-Dem Coalition backbenchers don't even realise they've done this - but OVER £1million has been removed from the voluntary and third-sector grant blocks :-(
That is going to lead to a huge amount of pain come the 11th March Council Meeting, when individual grants are set.
It does appear that the SNP/Lib-Dem Coalition have set aside £146,000 in a 'unallocated' pot to meet some of the inevitable campaigns that will arise between now and the 11th March - problem is, they've taken £1,154,000 out (see below for the summary figures) of the overall grant blocks!
- Children and Families grants - £494,000 cut
- Health and Social Care grants - £99,000 cut
- Services for Communities grants - £330,000 cut
- Sports and Arts grants - £231,000 cut
On the 11th March, every Council Department will thus have to slash grants and reduce support to hundreds of organisations that have been doing critical work on behalf of the Council - in some cases for several decades.
The +£1m of cuts will, without doubt, threaten the existence of many organisations that provide essential services - ranging from services to young people who have been abused to services for children with learning disabilities.
Frankly - we are looking here at the slashing of grant funding to organisations such as Barnardos, the Disability Action Group, Alzheimer's Scotland and many local Youth and Elderly Clubs across the City. And, I simply find it astonishing that many of these groups have not yet even been informed of the potential reductions being proposed!
By stark contrast - the Labour Group protected all these crucial budgets in our alternative proposals that were dismissed last Thursday :-((
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