School swimming pools could be closed as Dundee City Council unveils cost-cutting proposals
Multiple school swimming pools could be closed in new budget proposals revealed by the council
Cuts to waste collection services and school swimming pool closures are among the options Dundee City Council are looking at to balance next year’s budget.
The local authority is facing a £15m shortfall in its efforts to balance its books in 2025/26.
Now, a new report setting out possible savings options for the local authority is set to go before councillors next week.
Vast amount of cuts proposed
Under the proposals, swimming pools in Baldragon Academy, Grove Academy, Harris Academy, St Johns RC High School and St Pauls RC High School could shut.
The move could save the local authority an estimated £180,000 in 2025/26 and a further £440,000 in 2026/27.
Children’s services in the city could also be reduced in a bid to save around £1.4m over the next two years.
The proposals are expected to go out for public consultation later this month.
Other possible cuts proposed by the council include:
-Axing a number of school crossing patrollers
-Removing city centre events budget, including Christmas lights provision
-Reducing the number of wardens in place across the city
-Closing the Ancrum Activities Centre and moving the services elsewhere
-Cutting bin and recycling collections including general waste collections only every third week
Council leader Mark Flynn said: “The financial challenges faced by the council make the decisions that we have to take in order to set a balanced budget more and more difficult every year.
“Savings and efficiencies totalling £171m have been made since 2008, and we think we may have to save another £15.6m next year.
“So while we are focused on protecting frontline services in next year’s budget, the reality is that the tough choices we make will impact on the lives of all our citizens.”
However, the proposals have drawn criticism from opposition councillors including Liberal Democrat Michael Crichton.
“Some of the potential cuts such as cutting children’s services, closing school swimming pools, removing some school crossing patrollers and cutting devolved school budgets are frankly dreadful proposals”, he said.
“The Lib Dem group is wholly against such damaging possible cuts and it is now for the Scottish Government to use its budget wisely to help save local services here in Dundee and across Scotland”.