200 jobs at risk as Falkirk Council faces £29m budget gap

Kenneth Lawrie, chief executive issued the warning as he braced councillors for an exceptionally challenging year head after the significant impact of lockdown on its services.

His comments came as he sought approval for the council's business plan - which will see it spend £1.5 billion on services over the next three years.

Councillors had hoped to find around a quarter of the savings from transformational projects - known as Council of the Future - which has 23 different projects that aim to shake up how the council works in order to save cash.

While he suggested that 200 jobs will disappear, he pointed out that this does not take into account new posts - particularly in early years education - and in recent years the workforce had actually increased.

However, some of the projects that had been expected to deliver key savings have been impacted by Covid-19, he warned.

Other projects will move faster, in particular getting the right digital technology for staff to help them work from home and modernise outdated systems.

Mr Lawrie said: "It's going to be an exceptionally challenging budget year ahead.

"Partly because we're still dealing with Covid and partly because of its inevitable impact on our existing savings plans."

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Councillors were asked to approve the business plan but the Labour Group refused to back the report.

Robert Bissett, group leader, said it should be delayed for three months as it contained too many unknown factors.

His colleague Joan Coombes said the uncertainty meant the plan was "building on sand".

But SNP Council leader Cecil Meiklejohn it had to be "a living document" that could be adjusted to circumstances.

"This is a route map to delivering on our priorities," she said.

Mr Lawrie said that waiting three months to approve the business plan would not look good to external auditors and could put the council's reputation at risk.

The Conservative group was split but enough members voted in favour for the report to be passed.

At the same meeting, councillors also approve the Corporate Plan put forward by Mr Lawrie.

In the document, he stressed to councillors that the the local authority had to become more entrepreneurial and innovative to help communities thrive.

> Kirsty Paterson is the Local Democracy Reporter for Falkirk

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