23/01/2023
Posted on Cllr David MacDonald facebook page
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Cllr David Macdonald - An Independent voice for people.
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On Thursday, I attended the most recent meeting of East Renfrewshire Council's Audit and Scrutiny committee.
The committee discussed the updates to the risk register for the council.
This is an assessment that the council makes on the varying degrees of financial, reputational and organizational risk etc that the council is willing to take in order to achieve it's objectives.
The register evaluates risk on a 1-10 scale, 1 being not willing to take any risk and 10 being willing to engage in significant risk.
They evaluated reputational risk at 1 which I felt was not realistic given both past decisions and also the financial forecast for the future given the huge financial black hole that we are facing for the next three years and the inevitable harsh council cuts that are on the horizon.
I made specific reference to the council decision to make very harsh cuts to Isobel Mair school in this current financial year.
These cuts are affecting children and young people with some of the most complex learning and developmental needs.
Certainly, the decision to make these cuts has caused East Renfrewshire Council significant reputational damage.
So much so, in fact, that some of the families affected by them are considering leaving the area entirely for another council area that offers far better support for their children.
On every opportunity I have spoken up about how these particular cuts need to be completely reversed.
The reality of the situation was that, at the time of formulating the budget, a pounds and pence figure was put to then council administration by the education department of savings they would seek to make but Isobel Mair school was not mentioned specifically for over £60,000 of cuts.
It was only after the budget approval that these specified cuts were made clear.
That, in of itself, is completely unacceptable. Councillors were not in full receipt of the facts concerning the specific areas of education that would be cut.
For that reason alone the cuts to Isobel Mair should be reversed.
In my view cuts to kids who have the most challenging pathway in life is just a no go area.
We must become a council that supports these young people fully to give them and their families the valued support they need to live the best life they possibly can.
Getting it right for every child means EVERY child, not just the children undertaking mainstream education without additional support needs.
#isobelmairschool
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