Tell us how our savings proposals impact you

Customers would pay upfront when requesting, ordering or buying a payable service. This will deliver efficiencies and avoid unnecessary administration and debt recovery activity for non- payment. No savings value yet as further work needed on delivering this project.

Saving: £781,000 in total

Change the way libraries operate by, for example, integrating public and school libraries and making libraries self-service or community operated. Self-service provision is already available out-of-hours at the Lasswade, Newbattle and Loanhead hub libraries.

Community users and staff engagement would be a key part of any next stage in progressing redesign. 

Saving: £150,000 in total

Shift the focus on libraries to online services and do not replace or refresh the books or materials on offer to customers. Library services would shift to other emerging service hub areas as centres of the community. 

Saving: £28,000 in total

The saving would come from reducing ongoing costs. The site could be sold or rented. As the smallest library, Roslin has space constraints and cannot be turned into a 'one stop shop' incorporating other council services unlike hub libraries at Danderhall etc.

The council is currently looking at using the mobile library to offer 'one stop shop' services in rural communities. Early discussions suggest there is strong interest from partner agencies to take money advice, employability supports and housing advice services into these more rural areas using the mobile library bus. The library service would also offer a drop off/collection service for books, and information sessions and pop up Bookbugs – similar to the services offered in the existing One Stop Shops. 

The proposal is in the draft Vogrie Strategy. The proposals would include: glamping; enhancing parking, commercial dog walking licensing; and more events. No value attributed as yet as further work needed to scope project.  

Buying buildings that are not on the open market to save money. An example would be buying the last privately-owned flat in a block of otherwise council properties. This would then make it easier to upgrade the entire block etc. Further work needed to scope this project.

Sell off empty council houses that do not meet national social housing standards and buy new builds and single units in predominantly council-owned blocks.

Further develop plans for a hospitality and conference centre; ziplining; mountain biking; play area; supervised creche/soft play; climbing wall; Christmas market and retail village at the Hillend centre.  

Develop a proposal to identify commercial opportunities with roads services partners.

Look at setting up a Material Recycling Facility where recycling would be pre-treated to improve its quality. Other authorities and companies would be charged to use the facility. Income would also be generated because higher quality recycling attracts greater values when sold.

Develop a proposal to set up a council-owned private rental property company.

Develop a proposal to set up an online portal where tenants can report and track requests such as for council house repairs.

Develop a proposal to set up a council-owned company offering, for example, road, vehicle and winter maintenance services to external agencies and other authorities.  

Review senior management to save money.