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City's emergency cash reserves back up to £2m



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Published Date: 06 September 2008
THE city council's emergency cash reserves have been replenished to just short of £2 million, it emerged today.
The fund, normally kept just above £10m, is used if the city faces a disaster, such as floods, major fire or terrorist attack. It can also be used in unforeseen financial emergencies.

However, an audit last year revealed that the sum had fallen to under £400,000.

The problem arose after council departments went massively into the red, though councillors had already plundered reserves to meet massive equal pay claims, to refund pensioners wrongly charged for help preparing meals, and to help foot the bill for demolishing 200 homes around Gilmerton because of collapsed or unstable limestone mines.

Labour councillors in the last administration also raided the fund to help keep council tax bills low.

The council's director of finance, Donald McGougan, said: "A modest contribution has been made to start to rebuild the unallocated general fund reserve."

The Lib Dem/SNP administration has vowed to add £5m to the fund this year.





The full article contains 179 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 06 September 2008 9:55 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Edinburgh Council
 
1

alex paterson,

edinburgh 06/09/2008 12:07:50
It can be used in unforeseen financial emergencies,such as councillors holidays Etc.
2

P I Staker,

06/09/2008 12:09:39
One time provost Milligan had the right idea - get police patrol cars to run you about, saves the cooncil cash.
3

Marian,

06/09/2008 12:44:31
No word of the fact that it was New Labour who plundered the reserves for years in order to try and bribe voters before elections.
4

spud the enforcer,

edinburgh 06/09/2008 13:39:07
want to get the reserves back up? then just stop eric boozing at the taxpayers expense and for gawds sake stop lothian and borders police farce wasting money on buying new vehicles, do the idiots who run the police farce not realise there is a credit crunch, better still lets have one van and a car per station and have the rest of the lazy lumps of lard get out a walk a beat instead of wasting precious resources sitting in cars all day
5

Citylocal Fife,

Fife News Room 06/09/2008 13:41:49
"Labour councillors in the last administration also raided the fund to help keep council tax bills low."

Well, they were obviously just following the orders and style of Gordon Brown!
6

The Geniune Mario Antionette,

06/09/2008 13:53:10
probably dipped from £10 million to £400,000 if it was due to the city's Economic Leader, Councillor Tom Buchanan's contribution,.. (if the mess he made of running the Alnwickhill Residents Association is anything to go by.)
7

Grumpy,

06/09/2008 16:05:32
They could save even more cash by scrapping the trams
8

Linda,

Edinburgh 06/09/2008 16:18:43
Genuine Mario Anrtionette.

As you well know, it was Labour who ran down the reserves from £10m to £400,000 and Ian Murray's mischief making over Alnwickhill.
9

morris,

edinburgh 06/09/2008 19:09:30
7
Indeed they could.
What kind of idiot is it that cannot see that a tram which duplicates an existing bus service achieves absolutely sod all ?

Well actually thats no quite true ..................

There is traffic disruption while they move all the electricity and gas transmission systems, move any obstacles,cripples the budget as far as dualing the A9 is concerned, and places a further burden on Edinburghs already deep in doo dah council who are just starting to sort the Labour mess out.

There is also the added benefit of having to walk to the nearest tram stop and from it at the other end since stops are half a mile apart which means the eldery and infirm cannot use it at all,and it only covers 5% of the city anyway.


I dont think Grumpy is the right name for you.....................sensible seems closer if you ask me!
10

Duncan in Edinburgh,

06/09/2008 19:54:59
Totally misleading story full of half truths.

The substantial reason that the reserves were depleted was the decision to settle the equal pay dispute. The rest was chump change. And the decision to settle the equal pay dispute using the reserves was made by vote of the whole council, and was backed by both of the parties currently in power.
11

McChef,

Edinburgh 07/09/2008 01:15:21
9 - totally !
12

,

07/09/2008 05:58:40
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
13

,

07/09/2008 06:06:44
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
14

,

07/09/2008 06:08:11
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
15

celtic4,

USA 07/09/2008 14:40:40
The way I see it, the city had best do something. In 2014 the Olympics are coming to Scotland. I just don't know where you will put all those people who will arrive, or how you will take on the energy costs then. In a country which is about the size of Mass, there will be standing room only across Scotland during the Olympics! Best build more hotels and B&B's and fix the energy budget.
16

Julian.,

edinburgh 08/09/2008 03:03:28
Marian # 3,

"No word of the fact that it was New Labour who plundered the reserves for years in order to try and bribe voters before elections"

Here's a clue for you;0)

"Labour councillors in the last administration also raided the fund to help keep council tax bills low."
17

Julian.,

edinburgh 08/09/2008 03:12:47
#9,

I think grumpy is probably the right name for you.

A few imaccuracies: Tram stops will actually be 300m apart not half a mile and the number of people who live within a 5 minute walk of the line is 45,000, or 9% of the population.

As for there being no difference between trams and the number 22, not quite true either. Trams do not belch out pollutants, will be quicker and, in places like Nottingham and Dublin, have been proven to attract 10% of car drivers out their to switch to them.

Anyway, it's all academic. Barring a nuclear war, trams will be on out streets in just over 2 years so it's probably time to moan about something which can be changed.
18

dodderer,

Edinburgh 21/09/2008 08:44:15
#17 Busses may belch out pollutants but so do trams, only difference is that the electricity for the trams is produced from massive coal fired stations outside the city. Overall once the trams start running the carbon wastes, CO2 mainly, from the generators will increase the overall CO2 production in Scotland.

 

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