Edinburgh City Council’s budget deficit means it has a strong case for more funding – Steve Cardownie

Tomorrow will see the city council’s Finance and Resources Committee meet for the first time since the lockdown and it promises to be a baptism of fire for the new man at the helm, SNP Councillor Rob Munn.

Rob has been catapulted into the position due to the sudden illness of Councillor Alasdair Rankin (who holds the convenership position on the committee on a permanent basis). He’s expected to be absent for at least three months.

The papers to be discussed at the committee make for pretty grim reading and it is fortuitous that the SNP group was able to find a member with Rob’s experience and unflappable demeanour to step into Alasdair’s shoes. The council’s finances were already under severe pressure and the last thing it needed was the additional task of finding the extra money to cater for the demands of Covid-19.

One of the reports to be discussed tomorrow details the month three position of the revenue budget (the money that is spent day-to-day to provide council services) which warns that additional monies to deal with the crisis might be hard to come by. It states: “There remains significant risk around receiving additional funding or flexibilities sufficient to address the remaining deficit, particularly in the event of further lockdown, and thus further actions on service prioritisation are urgently required.”

So, unless the extra money to bridge the gap can be found from outwith the council, for example from the Scottish Government, further cuts are on the cards.

Councillor Munn, who has served on the committee for the last two years, is well aware of the enormity of the task that awaits him and is determined to utilise all the resources at his disposal to address the issue.

He told me yesterday that all of the political groups that make up the city council have a part to play and that he would entertain constructive proposals from whichever quarter they came.

Having been elected to the council on no less than four occasions, winning two by-elections in the process, he has gained a wealth of experience which will stand him in good stead.

He currently works as a senior case worker in SNP MSP Ben Macpherson’s Leith office. Macpherson has given Rob three months’ unpaid leave to allow him to take up the temporary position. He has already set up meetings with the appropriate finance officials and will also discuss matters with the Committee vice-convener, Labour Councillor Joan Griffiths.

This paper recently covered the warning issued by June Peebles, the chief executive of Edinburgh Leisure, that some facilities may have to remain closed for the foreseeable future as a result of the massive drop in income due to the restrictions imposed by the Scottish Government in response to the pandemic and the council’s reaction to it is currently awaited. But, given the current financial situation, it will be extremely difficult for the council to allocate extra monies for the re-opening of sports centres and swimming pools, no matter how justified, meaning that assistance will have to come from elsewhere.

There are 32 local authorities in Scotland and no doubt they will all be extending the proverbial begging bowl for more funds, However, Edinburgh’s case is stronger than most (if not the strongest) and needs to be urgently addressed if its citizens are not to be disproportionately disadvantaged.

Councillor Munn is familiar with the workings of the Scottish Government (and indeed, Westminster) and many will hope that he can use that familiarity to alleviate the financial hardship that is currently afflicting the city.

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