Wednesday February 11, 2009

WEE COUNTY NEWS

17

Cash for consultants decision is defended

By LYNNE MCILROY

Tax freeze welcomed by Brown

OCHIL MSP Keith Brown has welcomed the prospect of council tax being frozen in the Wee County for the second consecutive year. His comments came as First Minister Alex Salmond secured near-unanimous support for his 33 billion budget. And though the administration cannot officially comment until the local budget has been raised at the next full council meeting, Mr Brown sees it as the perfect chance to allay the threat of a 29 per cent hike in what he call a wholly unfair tax. He said: "Councils will now receive funding to freeze the council tax again, which equals an average saving for Clackmannanshire council tax payers of 332 each. "With many people facing tighter household budgets as Labour's recession bites this will go some way to help them in these times.

Boost for Ochil View

CLACKMANNANSHIRE housing association Ochil View will receive more than 470,000 to support the construction industry. The money is part of the 120 million acceleration in the threeyear affordable housing budget being brought forward over this year and next. And the cash will ultimately be used to buy six unsold properties in Tullibody from a private developer. Ochil Views director George Tainsh said: Were delighted the Government has recognised the need to bring forward investment in affordable housing. This is particularly welcome due to the extremely difficult economic conditions currently affecting both the voluntary and private sector housing markets. Discussions with Carronvale Homes have been going on since the end of last year to devise a financially viable proposal to buy properties in Tullibody.

CLACKMANNANSHIRE Councils Chief Executive, Dave Jones, has defended the local authoritys spending after figures revealed they have paid over 2m to external consultants since April 2006.
Its not the first time such an issue has hit the headlines, with officers deciding to outlay 25,000 in August last year to recruit for two senior management positions. Figures obtained by the Wee County News under freedom of information laws show 1.675m was spent for the 2006/07 financial year, with around 55 outside consultancies employed. Money spent by social services accounted for over 65,000 of this figure, while general fund housing took more than 86,000. Defending the figures, Mr Jones said: In 2006/07 our consultancy bill was higher than usual, due largely to two extensive projects, the building of the three new secondary schools and research work on sharing services between Clackmannanshire and Stirling councils. The latter was paid for by a grant from the Scottish Government. We have taken on expert legal and property consultants to ensure we get the best deal for our school pupils, who will benefit from new buildings

AReal Ale Festival

13th & 14th February

oa Town Hall ll

built and equipped to the highest standards. Last year, the amount spent dropped to 362,000, with Mr Jones continuing: Consultancy services for 2007/08 included a specialised childcare professional, whose expertise has helped us to improve social care for some of the most vulnerable children in Clackmannanshire. Other recipients in the last financial year included three writers in residence, who between them were paid more than 22,000, Bracewell Stirling Architects who received 15,000 and Deltix Transport Consulting who were employed by development and

environmental services for more than 10,000. Last year SNP councillor Donald Balsillie criticised what he said was a dependency on outside consultancies, saying: I do feel we have an alarming trend of going external for a lot of these things. There is a strong argument to build up in-house expertise. But Mr Jones went on to say: We will continue to look at each case for taking on external consultants on its own merits and to choose the route that offers the best value to residents, as befits an efficient, effective and caring organisation.

12pm Till 12am Tumblin Dice

perform Live on Saturday Night
Friday 5 Saturday 6
One free beer glass on entry
This Valentines Day Real Ale

All change at RETROglass

Win a meal for two at the Harviestoun Country Hotel and Restaurant

One lucky Wee County News couple are set to have a fabulous romantic meal for two at the idyllic Harviestoun Country Hotel and Restaurant in Tillicoultry. The award winning Harviestoun is the ideal setting to indulge the one you love with a Valentines evening in one of the areas top eateries. It really does have it all - charm, elegance, sophistication and quality food to savour. The lovingly restored 18th century steading has been sympathetically refurbished to a high standard and with the backdrop of the stunning Ochil hills it is the ideal venue for romance. The Courtyard Restaurant overlooks the pretty cobbled courtyard. It enjoys a bright, pleasant outlook

and is the perfect place to relax and have a leisurely meal prepared by the hotels chefs who use only the finest and freshest produce. Personally managed by owner Elizabeth Macintyre, the hotel has eleven en-suite bedrooms, The Courtyard Restaurant, and the Tobermory Function Suite and is also a member of Eat Scotland. You dont have to wait to be nominated or even answer a simple question, all you have to do is enter your name and address in this weeks competition coupon and the first name pulled out of the hat will be the winner. Return entries with full details to Valentines Day, Wee County News, 10 Mar Street, Alloa FK10 1HR no later than noon on Thursday, February 12.

Name .................................................................. Address ................................................................................................................................ Postcode ..............................................................

RETROGLASS of Alloa officially opened their new training suite in Carsebridge Industrial Estate last week. Kathleen ONeill, Clackmannanshires cultural planner said: We are pleased to be supporting artists working with glass through community workshops and public art commissions. Pictured are Jamie Erskine, Earl of Mar, Retroglass owner Rachel Collins, Richard Whiteley, Heike Brachlow, Karen Davis and Kit Gow.

Tel (day)................................................................Tel (eve)..................................................... Winning couple will be booked to have their meal at the Harviestoun at 7pm on Saturday, February 14 or at a date subject to availability