HIGHLAND Council yesterday joined West Lothian and Scottish Borders Councils in announcing job losses as part of the packages needed to balance their budgets for 2018/19.

In Highland, members yesterday agreed a council tax increase of three per cent, which will mean an increase of £35.93 per annum on a Band D property and the loss of 50 jobs.

Council leader Margaret Davidson said: “This is a fair budget which protects jobs, education, roads and winter maintenance and communities across the Highlands. We have thankfully not had to cut as deeply as we had originally feared this year, but there has still been a significant challenge in making savings which had the least impact on services.

“I would hope that we can move to multiple-year budget setting in the future, however the current one-year budget-setting policy by the Scottish Government presents local authorities with very real challenges in being unable to plan effectively over a long term.”

The council’s Budget Leader, Alister Mackinnon, said: “This budget is a positive response to our current financial circumstances. Over the past few months, we have had to consider a wide range of options to make very significant cuts to services which we didn’t want to do, but thought may be unavoidable, and I recognise the negative effect this uncertainty has caused for staff and communities.

“A better settlement at the eleventh hour has saved us from having to cut so deeply, and we have done our very best to protect frontline services and safeguard jobs.

“Around 50 posts will go, however we are confident that we can manage these through redeployment, vacancy control and longer-term workforce planning to avoid any redundancies where possible.”

In West Lothian, where there will be three per cent council tax increases in each of the next five years, the council stated: “Overall, the council anticipates that net staffing numbers over the next five years will reduce overall by around 134 full-time-equivalent staff members, which equates to two per cent of the council’s total workforce.”

Labour’s Lawrence Fitzpatrick, who leads the council, said: “We are no different to any other Scottish council in that we cannot spend what we don’t have, and changes to services are inevitable given the scale of the cuts to our budget.

“By the end of this five-year period, the council will have had to cut around £157 million from its budget in a 15-year period. The figures are stark and illustrate the challenges that we face.”

The Conservative group backed the minority Labour administration again, with Tory group leader Damian Timson saying: “Conservative councillors on West Lothian Council are pleased to announce that a budget has been agreed. We are delighted that the proposed cuts to the Ability Centre and Eliburn Support Centre, local bus subsidies and the removal of funding for instrumental music provision have been reversed.

“A budget with these in would not have had the support of the West Lothian Conservative councillors.”

SNP group leader Peter Johnston said: “Despite hours of SNP questioning, Labour plans to cut care for the elderly; close local libraries, including trying to move Carmondean Library into the Ability Centre; close the Livingston and Whitdale family centres; cut transport for disabled users; cut 21 police officers and axe our taxi card were all left with serious issues unanswered.

“And when the vote came Labour, who asked one question all day, joined with the Tories to vote through all their cuts. A sad day indeed for West Lothian.”

The Conservative/Independent ruling administration at Scottish Borders Council is aiming to save £32.5 million over the next five years. It is expected to confirm on Tuesday the loss of 35 jobs in 2018-19.