Calls for a public consultation on Dundee City Council’s budget proposals have been made after £3.5 million of efficiency savings were made and a further £3.7m budget cut is still to be found.
Labour councillor Richard McCready is calling for the council to listen to the people of Dundee before going ahead with cuts.
The council will set its budget for the year 2015/16 on February 12 and still has to find another £3.7m to meet Scottish Government requirements to continue the council tax freeze.
Councillor McCready is calling for the council, in line with at least 16 other Scottish local authorities, to carry out a public consultation on its budget proposals.
Mr McCready said: “Budget day is an important day and the decisions made on that day have a huge impact on services across Dundee.
“Decisions on the council’s budget should not be made in the secretive changing for the future board but should be made in consultation with the citizens of Dundee.”
He also pledged that if Labour gained control of the administration of the council it would carry out ‘open, transparent and meaningful consultation with the people of Dundee on budget decisions’.
The city council advised that it does not hold a formal, direct consultation but that it makes public its savings proposals and this generates public discussion and feedback.
At Monday night’s policy and resources committee councillors unanimously approved a £3.6m spending cut across council departments but there are still more budget cuts to be made.
In her report, director of corporate services Marjory Stewart said: “Based on current assumption, the council will require to identify budget savings totalling £7.3m in order to achieve a council tax freeze.
“Officers have already identified administrative and technical budget savings totalling £3.6m and these savings are reflected in the Provisional 2015-16 Revenue Budget. The council therefore now requires to identify further budget savings totalling £3.7m in order to achieve a council tax freeze in 2015-16.”
Ultimately, Dundee is set to see a year-on-year reduction in its grant allocation from the Scottish Government of £1.577m but it will still stump up £1.639m to support continuing Dundee to London flights.
Discussions are under way to decide where the axe could fall this year, with the administration expected to announce its proposals on February 12.