Yesterday, I attended the funeral of Jim Begg at Dundee Cermatorium. There was a large attendance - it was a very fitting tribute to Jim. Blackness Area Residents' Association, Home Scotland and the City Council were all represented, along with Jim's family and many friends.
Later that day, I attended the City Council's Audit & Risk Management Committee and - after two surgeries at the Mitchell Street Centre and Harris Academy - the main City Council committees took place in the evening - some 4 hours in total - and the main points are :
* The SNP administration is putting up council rents by 4%. The SNP won the vote by 2 against my amendment to limit the increase to 3%. I am grateful for the support of the Labour and Conservative groups and Depute Lord Provost Ian Borthwick in my attempt to stop the SNP imposing an increase that is simply not reasonable. The Retail Prices Index was only 2.4% last month. The consultation with Dundee tenants was flawed - the choice was the SNP 4% or ... the SNP 4%. No wonder there were far fewer consultation responses than last year - the SNP "consulted" on a done deal. Non-consultation if ever there was.
* Fairer Scotland Fund. I was very unhappy with the debate on this important issue last night. Following the decisions made by the Dundee Partnership to remove or reduce funding from around 45 Fairer Scotland Fund projects in the city that may result in the loss of around 35 jobs, I have written to the council Chief Executive David Dorward calling for a fundamental review of the transparency of decision making processes within the Dundee Partnership and a review of governance arrangements.
I am gravely concerned about a process that appears to allow the SNP administration on the City Council to take away £1.577 million of monies previously ring fenced in the Fairer Scotland Fund, simply to help balance the council’s own budget. Projects aimed at helping the least affluent and most vulnerable Dundee people have been raided simply to help the council’s revenue budget is a staggering example of the SNP acting as Robin Hood in reverse – taking from the poorest in society, the people most in need of help - simply because the SNP administration appeared incapable of balancing the council’s budget without taking away from Fairer Scotland Funding to the tune of £1.5 million.
At committee, councillors heard directly from representatives of one of the projects - the Dundee Employment and Aftercare Project (DEAP) – about how it is helping large numbers of Dundee people to secure sustainable employment. DEAP conducts 13 job shops across the city in local community centres and has around 2500 clients registered for employability support. In under two years, it has helped secure over 1400 job outcomes for local people. The SNP appeared unmoved by pleas to ensure that DEAP’s funding be restored and that is deeply regrettable.
The dynamics between the City Council and Dundee Partnership lack transparency and democratic accountability and I have suggested to the City Council’s Chief Executive that they be subject to review.
Later that day, I attended the City Council's Audit & Risk Management Committee and - after two surgeries at the Mitchell Street Centre and Harris Academy - the main City Council committees took place in the evening - some 4 hours in total - and the main points are :
* The SNP administration is putting up council rents by 4%. The SNP won the vote by 2 against my amendment to limit the increase to 3%. I am grateful for the support of the Labour and Conservative groups and Depute Lord Provost Ian Borthwick in my attempt to stop the SNP imposing an increase that is simply not reasonable. The Retail Prices Index was only 2.4% last month. The consultation with Dundee tenants was flawed - the choice was the SNP 4% or ... the SNP 4%. No wonder there were far fewer consultation responses than last year - the SNP "consulted" on a done deal. Non-consultation if ever there was.
* Fairer Scotland Fund. I was very unhappy with the debate on this important issue last night. Following the decisions made by the Dundee Partnership to remove or reduce funding from around 45 Fairer Scotland Fund projects in the city that may result in the loss of around 35 jobs, I have written to the council Chief Executive David Dorward calling for a fundamental review of the transparency of decision making processes within the Dundee Partnership and a review of governance arrangements.
I am gravely concerned about a process that appears to allow the SNP administration on the City Council to take away £1.577 million of monies previously ring fenced in the Fairer Scotland Fund, simply to help balance the council’s own budget. Projects aimed at helping the least affluent and most vulnerable Dundee people have been raided simply to help the council’s revenue budget is a staggering example of the SNP acting as Robin Hood in reverse – taking from the poorest in society, the people most in need of help - simply because the SNP administration appeared incapable of balancing the council’s budget without taking away from Fairer Scotland Funding to the tune of £1.5 million.
At committee, councillors heard directly from representatives of one of the projects - the Dundee Employment and Aftercare Project (DEAP) – about how it is helping large numbers of Dundee people to secure sustainable employment. DEAP conducts 13 job shops across the city in local community centres and has around 2500 clients registered for employability support. In under two years, it has helped secure over 1400 job outcomes for local people. The SNP appeared unmoved by pleas to ensure that DEAP’s funding be restored and that is deeply regrettable.
The dynamics between the City Council and Dundee Partnership lack transparency and democratic accountability and I have suggested to the City Council’s Chief Executive that they be subject to review.
Councillors are accountable to the electorate but there seems remarkably little democratic accountability in the decision making process that resulted in so many valuable projects having their funding removed or reduced.
It appears that the SNP administration can take away £1.5 million of the Dundee Partnership’s Fairer Scotland Funding allocation at the drop of a hat, but that councillors who want to see funding restored to projects are ruled out of order.
There is something very wrong about that and a full review of the relationship between Dundee City Council and the Dundee Partnership is urgently required.
* Changes to Library opening hours were discussed at the Leisure, Arts and Communities Committee (this includes Blackness Library).
* There was a discussion on winter maintenance policy, following the recent very challenging weather conditions. I raised the issues of ensuring gritting of sheltered housing areas and the need to keep grit bins filled.
* I supported a Conservative amendment to ensure councillors do not to attend an expensive Social Work Conference but this was out-voted by Labour and SNP councillors. The council budget is in a difficult position and now is the time to cut out expenditure like this.