Cuts consultation branded a sham
WEST Lothian Council has been criticised for its handling of the public consultation into its proposed cuts of £60 million to services over the next four years.
Critics say the lack of information in the council's Tough Choices document has left them without key information to challenge published plans and the transparency of information in the publication has been called into question.
While there has been hundreds of responses – some in agreement with council proposals – a number of parent councils from county schools said they couldn't offer alternative ideas to education cuts as there wasn't enough detail on what was being cut in the proposals.
In a response to the proposed cuts in education, James Young High School Parents Association said: "The limited information in the document in effect more or less made it impossible to challenge the proposals made.
"This, we felt, precluded any substantial challenge to what was proposed.
"Some considerable time was devoted to our discussions and considerations but it became very clear early on that we had insufficient information in the document to make any meaningful comments on specific points.
"Our response has therefore necessitated a more general, less satisfactory reply.
"It was seen as very positive that the council had decided to give the public an opportunity to comment and be consulted on the options being considered.
"However, none of the group that met had the detailed knowledge that the PDSPs (policy development scrutiny panels] have on or around the procedures to be followed, the legislation to be complied with and the analysis or breakdown in costs or figures.
"We believe this is a major flaw in (the council's] consultation process and undermines (the council's] best of intentions.
"This position also does not allow us to comment on whether money could be better saved in other areas of council spending as we do not have the knowledge or information required.
"What we therefore have at present is a series of proposals that council staff have produced based on information that solely they have."
The parent councils of Livingston Village PS, Linlithgow Academy,
Williamston and East Calder PS raised similar concerns.
The council published "detailed" proposals in the document, but it is littered with vague explanations of plans and, despite officers costing proposals to cut up to 1,000 staff, the council says that it is unable to say how many staff will be affected in certain sections.
For instance, the document specifically states that just over 1m could be saved by reducing the number of pupil support workers in schools, but when asked by the Herald & Post how many positions would be lost, the council said it did not know.
A statement read: "We cannot provide definite figures regarding reductions in staffing levels within education services, although there will inevitably be a workforce reduction."
Tough Choices was produced to inform the public of what cuts were being proposed but opposition Labour Group leader John McGinty believes it hasn't done what the council promised.
He added: "Without this vital information, how can the council expect people to submit insightful alternative ideas to its own proposals. Was this not the whole point of the consultation?
"We really are no further forward about what services the SNP/Tory/Action to Save St John's administration will cut next year. This whole process is in danger of becoming a sham."
Council leader Peter Johnston repsonded saying: "West Lothian Council is rightly engaged in the largest community consultation the council has ever conducted. Labour voted against this consultation and instead demanded we do nothing.
"For the last three months the council has openly sought to scrutinise officer proposals to deliver a balanced budget.
"We will not know until late November the council's financial settlement and will then, once we actually know the extent of the reductions imposed, have the first knowledge of what we need to do."
Labour councillors have tabled a motion for the full council meeting on 14 September that, "the process to date has not aided public or staff understanding about what services will actually be affected."
A council spokesman added: "No decisions will be made on these proposals as the consultation has to be completed then referred to councillors for discussion. No decisions will be made until next year."
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Tuesday 07 February 2012
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