The SNP must reveal their spending cuts plan for Dundee immediately

When will the SNP Administration share their budget figures with the public, the workforce and the opposition Councillors in our City?
I note in the press that Angus Council is to be commended for its honesty as they have now advised their citizens that the cuts they have to impose will see 500 valued employees lose their jobs.
Whilst I often hear from Senior Officers of this Council that we must engage better with our Communities, there seems to be very little of this put into practice by the SNP Administration.
The kind of openness that we have seen from Angus Council has yet to be seen from Dundee City Council's SNP Administration as they have continued to hold secret meetings behind closed doors.
Even Freedom of Information Requests have not, as yet, been able to uncover their policies for Dundee's future that will see us through these difficult times.
Our SNP Administration, along with the Scottish Government, will not be able to hide cuts and job losses forever - people have the right to know.
If we just compare the amounts to be saved in Angus and in Dundee over the next four years, Dundee has almost twice the amount of cuts to make.
It is very regrettable that this Administration still look to keep things hidden from the very public they have been elected to represent.
It is equally regrettable that they continue to leave our valued workforce and their families with an enormous amount of uncertainty as to their futures.
Not just Angus, but other Councils up and down the country have laid down their intentions as to what their budget implications are to be, way in advance any budget setting date and I believe that this lack of information being provided in Dundee is a deliberate ploy of this SNP Administration not to allow the opposition Councillors the time to properly assess the impact on services and the needs of the people who require these very vital services.
We should also have time to consider the City's wider economy in anything brought before Council.
The Administration has set a date of 10 February 2011 when they intend to announce their budget.
They should share their intentions with the public way before this date to allow public scrutiny and not just rail-road their budget through as they have done previously.

SNP challenged over Concordat signing

Kevin Keenan, Labour group leader on Dundee City Council, has challenged SNP leader Councillor Ken Guild to declare if he has signed the concordat between the SNP Government and local councils.

In a message to the SNP group leader, Councillor Keenan said,

"I noticed during a recent debate within the Chambers, Councillor Sawers made reference to the Concordat, suggesting that we, as a Council were signed up to it."

Mr. Keenan continued,

"As the previous Leader of Dundee City Council I never made any effort to sign this document as I considered it to be full of wishes and unfunded SNP manifesto commitments and signing this document would not have been in the best interests of Dundee or its citizens.

"Can you advise if you have, since becoming Leader, signed this document and whether you will or will not be prepared to totally disregard it to allow a greater flexibility in setting the future budgets for Dundee, considering the extent of the cuts facing this City?

"Will you join the growing number of COSLA Leaders who think that it is time the Scottish Government constraints are removed to allow flexibility as we look for what is best for our City, its people and our wider City economy?"

"I want to know from the SNP council administration where their cuts will land."

Kevin Keenan, Labour group leader on Dundee City Council has challenged the SNP ruling group on Dundee City Council to spell out where they will impose cuts in spending in Dundee to maintain the SNP Government’s council tax freeze.

He said,

"I want to know from the SNP council administration where their cuts will land."

"These proposed cuts by the council’s SNP ruling group will impact across the local economy and families throughout the city.

"They result from the council tax freeze imposed by the SNP Government from which the gloss is now peeling off as people experience the effect of the cuts in local services created by the council tax freeze.

"For example, the SNP Government has cut the per capita allowance per child in education by 6 per cent .

"Dundee will not be able to sustain that level of protection in education.

" Alex Salmond’s decision to defer the hundreds of millions pounds of cuts in spending in Scotland from the Tory-Lib Dem Westminster coalitions from Westminster is a desperate attempt by the SNP Government to try to pass on the blame for the cuts to the next Scottish Government."

Kevin Keenan slams "shameful scenes" as SNP gag debate on council cuts

Speaking following the decision by the SNP on Dundee City Council to refuse to consider a Labour amendment to SNP cuts in the council's budget, Kevin Keenan, Labour group leader, said
"The scenes in the City Chambers today were shameful and reflect very poorly on the SNP Administration.
"Political parties in the City have a duty to put petty party politics behind them and work together in the best interests of the City.
"Bailie Sawers ruled Bailie Regan's amendment out of order and was then incapable of providing any valid reasons for doing so.
"The amendment had been scrutinised by the Depute Chief Executive (Support Services) and she was satisfied, prior to the meeting, that it was competent.
"I am seeking a meeting with the Depute Chief Executive (Support Services) to clarify what went on and seek an amicable and effective way forward in the best interests of the City.
"I will also be asking her about redress elsewhere such as the Standards Commission and Audit Scotland.
"I am appalled at the treatment which we were subjected to this afternoon.
"The handling of the meeting will damage the reputation of the Council.
"Bailie Regan's motion was attempting to restore funding to DEAP.
"The events today are an injustice to the workers at DEAP and their families and an injustice to the clients of DEAP who are looking for support to gain employment at this difficult time.
"Debate is being stifled in the City Chambers.
"No wonder Councillor Roberts recently said that there was no point in saying anything in the Chambers.
"There is a need for openness and transparency which was sadly lacking today.
"I am a politician and I can take the rough and tumble of political debate but today I really feel for the people associated with DEAP who saw their funding and their jobs disappear by means of political sleight of hand rather than in an open manner.
"These are real people with real problems who now face an uncertain future thanks to Bailie Sawers.
"The SNP Group Leader has said that jobs are his priority.
"Today's meeting demonstrated that this was not the case."