Aberdeenshire councillors back call for up to £60m of cuts

Aberdeenshire councillors have unanimously backed a call for up to £60m of budget cuts.

A medium-term financial strategy paper outlined the scale of the financial challenge faced by the authority in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

Officials told a meeting that the council is likely to be £46m over budget by March 2022.

There could be a 3% rise in council tax, but the new budget will not be finalised until next year.

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Income from council tax alone has dropped substantially due to some people no longer paying their bills.

The report also outlined possible cuts to the education and infrastructure services budgets.

The meeting came as Andy Kille took over as council leader from Jim Gifford.

In June, Mr Gifford stepped down from the Scottish Conservatives and joined the independent group.

New Conservative group leader Mr Kille has now taken over following a five-month transition period.

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