Published: Wednesday, 3rd February, 2010 4:34pm

BUDGET CUTS WON'T BE A PAIN-FREE SOLUTION

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I HAVE to admit that I don't envy councillors and council officials who are involved in making ends meet in the budget process.

Every year it seems that the inevitable cuts and savings have to be met. And for years you could have argued that it was because the council wasn't spending its money wisely.

There have always been tales of council cash being wasted, and as much as I am for the public sector, there is no doubt that there has been a history of wooliness in terms of spending, expenses and general wastage in comparison with the private sector.

However, the £40m to £45m which NAC sees itself being forced to cut over the next three years is above and beyond what the authority can expect to be blamed for.

A whole series of circumstances have contrived to bring about this situation. Of course, the whole country has been opened to the economic factors of the recession. And it appears that, despite the fact that the UK is now technically out of the recession, the public sector will come out of that later, just as it seemed to be able to stave it off initially better than the private sector.

So Westminster passes on a reduced financial package to Holyrood, which in turn leaves the councils to hunt around looking for ways to cut costs.

What's more, NAC has now got far more leaway to find where it wants to make those cuts, having had ringfencing removed from particular areas of its service.

It would be daft and naive to suggest that council bosses should find a painless way to save these millions. That is not going to happen.

What is even more difficult is that they have got to find these savings at a time when they are committed to spending millions on the likes of council housing, albeit with government assistance, and the likes of the new Magnum.

All we can hope for is a budget which looks carefully at each service and makes sure that those who rely on them for their day-to-day living aren't left high and dry.