South Lanarkshire Council projects face cuts

Feb 4 2010 Hamilton Advertiser

SOUTH Lanarkshire Council will save £2.1m by axing the annual £50 Spring bonus paid to the area’s 41,950 OAPS.

The bonus was introduced to help pensioners pay for the annual rises in Council Tax.

However, with Council Tax again likely to be frozen, councillors and officials have now decided that the money could be better spent on other programmes.

Other cost-cutting casualties are the £1.1m schemes to provide free water and fruit to all primary school children.

Following Monday’s decision by the executive committee, only children in primary one and two will receive free fruit - and only on three days per week.

And children will be expected to use their own bottle for water and either bring water from home or use their school’s facilities. Although these changes will save £785,000, they remain in accord with national standards.

Reducing the frequency of grass cuts on council land will save £200,000, and the popular primary schools bulb competition has been chopped - yielding a saving of £32,000.

It further proposed that opening times at Strathaven’s John Hastie Museum be reduced, contributing to a saving of £159,000.

Ending support for a writer in residence scheme involving Strathaven and Hamilton arts guilds will help save £34,000.

Councillors have axed their £57,000 grant to Supercounty, the body set up to promote Lanarkshire’s image, and they have cut their £95,000 contribution to the running of tourist offices at Abington, Biggar and Lanark.

Hospitality and catering for internal council meetings is to be “reduced”, saving £20,000, and charges are to be introduced at manned public toilets generating £51,000.

Projects valued at £5m have been removed from the list of potential cuts.

Waste uplifts will remain free as will access to South Lanarkshire Leisure facilities for under-16s sports clubs and teams, and the over-60s.

It is hoped that move will encourage young people to embrace the many opportunities awaiting them at the International Children's Games coming to Lanarkshire in 2011.

There will be no increase in charges for school meals, community alarms or the council's frozen meals service.

Meals-on-wheels will continue, public toilets will remain open, Christmas grants to older people's lunch clubs will stay as will support for town twinning.

Providing Christmas trees in towns and villages throughout South Lanarkshire will continue, as will financial support for gala days and sports councils.