Tell us how our savings proposals impact you

Saving: £130,000 in total

This proposal would see a potential reduction of 1.6 Full Time Equivalent secondary and 1.9 Full Time Equivalent primary posts. Currently management time is provided to Additional Support Needs provisions as well as a Principal Teacher allocation.

Saving: £30,000 in total

The council currently runs swimming lessons for adults and children 0-3 years old, pre-school 3-5 years old, and 5-16 years old at the Penicuik Centre, Lasswade Centre, Loanhead Leisure Centre and Newbattle Community Campus. Currently swimming is provided for free to all primary 4 pupils (around nine years old) across the authority, within the school day, in blocks of 12 weeks with lesson periods of 40 minutes. Depending on the proximity of the pool used by the school, the swimming sessions can take a considerable amount of the school day, reducing the time available for learning other curriculum areas. The proposed saving of £30k is the amount budgeted for the instructors/coaches and does not include the reduction in staff time required to make the arrangements. The school daytime freed up would be used for the delivery of the curriculum. The council could potentially increase income as a result of the increased availability of the pools to paying customers.

Generating: £171,000 in total

The current discount offered to charities providing an after-school club (ASC) is 85%. The income would come from reducing this discount to a maximum of 50%.

The council would review after school clubs and breakfast clubs. This review would explore what is currently available; what the demand is; and the potential for using our own staff to provide this service or to deliver it in partnership with providers.

The council would look at generating income by opening schools with Early Learning and Childcare settings and other buildings all year round. The council’s Vogrie and Scots Corner ELCs already do so. We would need to make sure supply matches demand.

Children, Young People and Partnerships enjoys a great breadth of experience that could be promoted to external sources to generate income. This proposal would require more work to establish which service areas would have the capacity and external demand to leverage potential income. This proposal would also need to be considered alongside other savings proposals to ensure that any agreed reductions to services were not also given unachievable income targets.