At Aberdeen City Council’s budget meeting today (5^th March), Aberdeen’s Liberal Democrat councillors proposed protecting the city’s libraries, repairing crumbling roads and pavements and protecting community centres and community facilities.

The Liberal Democrats also squarely put the blame for the cuts on the SNP Scottish Government which has once again made Aberdeen City Council the worst funded council in Scotland.

Ian Yuill, Leader of the city council Liberal Democrats, said “These are cuts caused by decisions made by the Scottish Government.”

Key points of the Liberal Democrats’ budget proposals included:

• No cuts to libraries
• No community centre closures or cuts
• No Garden Tax on brown bin collections
• No cuts to school crossing patrollers
• No cuts to City Wardens
• No cuts to roads services and snow clearing
• No compulsory council staff redundancies
• No cuts to road maintenance or snow clearing budgets
• Investing an extra £5 million over five years in repairing roads and pavements across Aberdeen. This would pay to resurface an extra 28 miles of road surface.
• A 4.79% increase in council tax

The Liberal Democrats also proposed dropping the unaffordable scheme to spend well over £20 million on Union Terrace Gardens and instead invest £3.1 million in providing disabled access to the gardens, essential work to make the balustrade around the gardens safe and putting in place permanent suicide prevention measures at Union Bridge.

Ian Yuill said “The projected costs of the Union Terrace Gardens scheme have already spiralled to over £25 million. That is simply unaffordable and piles even more debt on the council and on Aberdeen’s residents. We have proposed a much more affordable project which both makes Union Terrace Gardens accessibility and improves public safety.”

“The council has faced savage budget cuts from the SNP Scottish Government. Despite that the Liberal Democrat have managed to focus resources on our priorities of education and learning, Aberdeen’s roads and pavements and  our city’s local environment.”

ENDS