Seil not Isle of Seil
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 8:41 pm
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This has cost Argyll and Bute Council £400,000. According to today's article in The Scotsman the loss of the SINA money was a complete surprise to the council.
Overall the Council is facing cuts in its funding double those expected. In addition to the Seil-related reduction in Special Islands Needs Allowance (SINA) the reduction in the Supporting People Allowance has removed a further £5.6 million from the budget. The total reduction in Argyll and Bute Council’s grant is £11.429 million. (The Supporting People Allowance is provided to assist local authorities with the costs of providing housing related support services).
If the Council had been aware of these two cuts - which they claim they weren't - then perhaps they could have forestalled them and thus halved the cut. As it is they are facing a grim year. The entire Winter roads budget is already used up, the area faces a housing shortage while 11.4% of our housing stock lies empty and any plans to invest in the local infrastructure seem to have been scrapped or shelved. Are the council victims of circumstance, or could they have done better?