Like other local authorities across the country, Orkney Islands Council is facing unprecedented funding challenges.  This is due to increasing costs, a reduction in funding from central Government including a proposed Council tax freeze, and increasing needs from our community who are becoming older and are facing financial challenges of their own.

Over the next five years, we’re expecting a £27.1 million funding gap. This means that some very difficult decisions will have to be made about what we can afford to do and how we do it.

As a council we remain committed to supporting local people and communities and ensuring that our resources are used as effectively as possible to deliver on our priorities.

However, we may no longer have the funding available to provide all the same services we have provided in previous years. We understand that this comes at a time when residents and businesses are also facing huge pressure from inflationary increases and high fuel costs.

We recognise and value the important role that local people, our communities and partners have to play in shaping local services – and therefore we are seeking your views on where we should concentrate our resources. Your views are important and will help us to make our final decisions on how to balance our budget, once we know our financial settlement from Government.

We need to prepare our budget in time for the financial year 2024/25 without yet knowing what the financial settlement is from the Scottish Government.  This means we are making plans based on the estimated savings we expect we need to make.

Please take a few minutes to fill in the budget consultation survey so that we know your views when it comes to financial planning for service delivery in Orkney.