Falkirk Council urged to do more to achieve £46m cuts

Education services in the Falkirk Council area were praised in the Accounts Commission report

A report into the financial running of Falkirk Council has said more must be done to achieve £46m of cuts over the next three years.

The Accounts Commission said the local authority delivered a good standard of services, particularly in education.

However, it was concerned the council had not identified ways to make cuts and ensure services were maintained.

The leader of the council was confident councillors could "address the challenges highlighted by auditors".

The report found the council had relied too heavily in the past on small-scale savings projects, reducing services and increasing charges.

Furthermore, the report highlighted how difficult working relationships and "heightened political tensions" between councillors led to a lack of proper scrutiny over the past two years.

Douglas Sinclair, chairman of the Accounts Commission, said: "Falkirk Council needs to do a great deal to provide assurance that it can deal with the financial challenges ahead.

"It must commit to a more ambitious financial plan that clearly sets out its priorities and how spending reductions will impact on services, and the people who use them.

"There needs to be better leadership to achieve this, and councillors must fully engage with the new scrutiny arrangements, which will be essential when difficult decisions inevitably need to be made."

Falkirk Council said the Accounts Commission report highlighted the good quality of services delivered in the area.

'Financial challenges'

Councillor Craig Martin, leader of Falkirk Council, said: "The council will consider the report shortly and prepare an improvement plan which will take us forward and address the issues raised by the Accounts Commission.

"However the financial challenges facing the council cannot be underestimated. Members need to work together to explore all possible ways in which our budget can be balanced.

"We are fully confident that we can work across the board to ensure that we address the challenges highlighted by auditors most of which are common to all councils in Scotland."

Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, leader of the opposition on the council, said: "The audit took place late last year and reflects a point in time.

"Members are focused on working together to ensure the best services we can for the community of the Falkirk Council area, given the scale of challenge the council faces."