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Budget

Revenue and Capital Budgets for 2009 - 2010

This brief guide to Aberdeenshire Council’s Revenue and Capital Budgets for 2009/12 has been produced as an insert for the Council’s Official Yearbook.

It is intended to be used as a handy at-a-glance reference guide to the main financial and statistical features of the Council’s activities.

In December 2007, figures were announced for Revenue Support Grant covering the three years to 2011. It had been expected that these would be updated in December 2008 but the only update was for 2009/10, with an indication that the figures produced previously for 2010/11 would be subject to revision in the light of the emerging economic crisis. This means that, unlike previous years, there can be no certainty over the finances that will be available beyond the end of the financial year 2009/10. As a result the much-needed stability and predictability for service users in Aberdeenshire cannot be provided on this occasion.

This guide does not contain figures for 2010 - 2012 as the figures released by the government are provisional and will be subject to considerable change in December 2009. The Council expects it will need to consider spending cuts that may be as high as £10m in 2010/11.

Government Grant continues to lag far behind the rest of Scotland, at 14.2% below the average of other councils when measured by grant per head of population. This grant meets around 80% of our expenditure so this level of shortfall is significant. If paid at the Scottish average grant would be £69m higher.

In common with all other Scottish councils, Aberdeenshire agreed to respond positively to the request by the Scottish Government to continue to hold our council tax at the 2007/08 level. This is a request that will be considered afresh for 2010/11. In the light of the postponement of proposals for a local income tax it is unclear what will happen in 2011/12.

More detailed information on the Council and its finances may be obtained from Aberdeenshire Finance, Woodhill House, Westburn Road, Aberdeen AB16 5GB (Tel. 08456 08 12 07).