The SNP group proposes the following
amendment to the budget 2021-22
1) increase roads maintenance allocation to counter the reduction in budgets of
previous years, to maintain the road capping to shed moisture, to protect
carriageway substrata, to allocate these additional monies on a 60:40 (Lewis
and Harris/Uist and Barra) basis of a provision of £300,000 to be financed by £300,000
of money saved on loan charges in 2020-21.
2) to meet the undisputed need for school children to participate in outdoor
exercises and sports activities all year round and to provide a much needed
community resource, the council provide a MUGA at Stornoway Primary at a cost
of £350,000 to be financed by prudential borrowing from the mainland travel
budget underspend.
3)to provide a dental chair in Taigh Cridhe Uille Naobh by making a ring-fenced
contribution to the IJB Budget specifically for TCUN Dental facility within the
surgery space at Taighe Cridhe Uille Naobh, to establish local provision of
dental care and to embed dental provision within the care home at the Health
and Well-being Hub in Daliburgh, ring fenced provision to IJB of £50,000 to be
financed by money saved on loan charges in 2020-21
4) to meet the vital need to provide a long stated aim of the council to link
all of the Western Isles for all those living and working in the Western Isles
that the Comhairle reinstate the concessionary fares in the sound of
Barra and sound of Harris crossings at a cost of £10,000 financed from savings
made on the mainland travel budget of 2020-21
5) to support abattoirs in Uist and Barra to assist the quality assured
production of local supply into the food chain to facilitate producers in Uist
and Barra having a croft to customer product, provision of £40,000 financed
from savings made on the mainland travel budget of 2020-21
6) to allow carers at Ardseileach more time to support the residents with
special needs by freeing them of domestic cleaning duties that financial
provision be provided by allocating £50,000 to employ additional staff to
undertake cleaning duties at Ardseileach to be financed by savings from the
building cleaning contracts of 2020-21
7) to allow the council to facilitate good communication with its employees
particularly on health and safety matters at this difficult time the council
not proceed with the cut of Union representation at £17,000 to be financed by
underspends in the staff budget of 2020-21
Proposer : Cllr Gordon Murray
Seconder : Cllr Calum Macmillan
