Public meeting on council budget proposals

Edinburgh residents are concerned about the Council plans for budget cuts of £36 million next year. They are organising a public meeting to discuss how people in the city could be affected by the draft budget proposals for 2014/15. The meeting will be held in Meadowbank Sports Centre on Friday 22 November at 7:00pm. Councillor Bill Cook, Convener of the Finance & Budget Committee, will be speaking and everyone is welcome to attend.

’We are afraid the Council proposals could mean rapidly increasing poverty and inequality in Edinburgh and have a bad effect on services and jobs’, says one Willowbrae resident. ’In 2012 our Council, the Coalition of the Labour Party and Scottish National Party, promised it would work to reduce poverty, inequality and deprivation and improve amenities and services. However the proposed changes could mean elderly and disabled people being forced to pay more for care and housing support for homeless people could be cut by 15%.

We want to persuade councillors to find alternatives to food banks and poverty. It’s important that Edinburgh is a city which cares for all of its residents and workers and a city that provides high quality care for those who need it. We want councillors to ensure good schools and amenities and protect services and jobs.

The council’s own report notes that since 2006/7 some £175m has been ‘saved’ in budget cuts which means that many services are already stretched to breaking point. We hope that people will come along to Meadowbank to discuss these issues and make sure things don’t get worse.’

The public meeting is being organised by Edinburgh East Save Our Services, Greater Leith Against the Cuts, CCaP and Edinburgh Trade Union Council.

Submitted by lorna frost