Call to probe budget 'legality'

The council is said to face "difficult challenges" in the future

Scotland's finance secretary has been called on to investigate whether Aberdeen City Council's �49.7m budget cutbacks are legal.

Labour councillor Willie Young is writing to John Swinney outlining concerns that the budget is not sound.

Mr Young claimed that if the local authority could not afford to reach its financial targets, then the budget process would be thrown into doubt.

However, council leader Kate Dean said the budget was above board.

Mr Young said: "The budget may be illegal so we are going to write to John Swinney. We are concerned. We need to find out the answers."

The council leader responded: "Our legal requirement is to produce a balanced budget and that's what we did.

"We have produced a balanced and thus legal budget."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Aberdeen City Council faces a significant financial problem which has accumulated over a number of years.

"Mr Swinney has made it abundantly clear that he believes that everyone should now concentrate on delivering the improvement plan. He believes that the first priority of all involved should now be delivering better services for the people of Aberdeen."

'Common sense'

Meanwhile, union leaders have welcomed Aberdeen City Council's plans to offer voluntary redundancy to workers in a bid to help it make its savings.

Tommy Campbell, of the T&G Unite union, said it was "common sense".

BBC Scotland revealed on Tuesday that council managers had been asked to identify who could be offered voluntary redundancy or early retirement.

A briefing document sent to managers at the council stated the "seriousness of the situation should not be underestimated".

It said the local authority continued to face "difficult challenges".

An all-party leadership board was set up in the wake of a critical report from the Accounts Commission earlier this year, which said Aberdeen City Council faced "extremely serious" challenges.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version