Tories call on Holyrood to help Moray

MORAY’S Conservatives say the area is facing "financial meltdown" unless the Scottish Government provides more money.

The proposals placed before the council yesterday look to save up to £6million – half of what is required in 2019/20.

Conservative councillor Frank Brown (Elgin North) said: "The savings proposed require substantial job losses and further reductions in services and resources for the people of Moray.

"The Conservative group have never been comfortable with the salami slicing of services necessitated by the continued failure of this SNP government to adequately fund the Moray Council.

"Instead we proposed that our council officers focus their efforts on producing a credible recovery plan to put to the Scottish Government to obtain bridging finance while the council is modernised and restructured.

"The consequence of this minority SNP administration is that job cuts and service reductions are now inevitable."

Cllr Tim Eagle (Buckie), the leader of the Conservative group, said: "I fail to understand why, when the only other option on the table is savage cuts to services and job losses in three figures, that other councillors have voted against an alternative option with the potential to prevent the decimation of council services.

"While the chances of success were perhaps slim their actions have denied that opportunity to the council and the people of Moray"

"We remain unhappy that medium and long-term plans remain undeveloped and there was very little information that gives any assurances of the longer term financial viability of Moray.

"The Conservative group tried to press amendments to the recommendations that asked that as a priority medium and long term plans are expanded along with a comprehensive financial plan to show how short-term measures might help close the financial gap.

These were rejected by the administration group and met with hostility from senior officers."

"The fact is we need more money and Nicola Sturgeon needs to wake up to that. We have a strained capacity to deliver and now no money for the investment that will bring change. We asked for formal talks with the Scottish Government to help with the transformation programme but again these were rejected."

Cllr Claire Feaver (Forres) said: "I will be working with my Conservative colleagues to do what I can to protect the services of people in Forres, and elsewhere in Moray, from the consequences of the very unfair financial settlement that Moray receives from the Scottish Government and the decision yesterday that other councillors took to deny Moray the opportunity to look at alternative options."