Salmond steps in at Aberdeen
- Published: 10 June 2008 12:37
- Author: Simon Ellery
- More by this Author
- Last Updated: 10 June 2008 12:37
Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has stepped into the increasingly acrimonious accounts post mortem at Aberdeen City Council.
The intervention follows a flurry of meetings between council leaders and finance secretary John Swinney following a damning report by spending watchdog the Accounts Commission.
Auditors have found "extremely serious financial and management issues" in the council's books as it seeks to implement a £27m programme of deeply unpopular budget cuts.
'Every councillor responsible'
Council leader Kate Dean has said that every councillor in Aberdeen is responsible for the authority's current problems but stressed that the situation could be turned around.
In the latest intervention, the Scottish National Party leader has called on all sides to "stop the blame game".
He said that no party was untainted in the aftermath of a funding crisis that has seen thousands march through the streets objecting to the closure of a raft of council-funded services.
The Accounts Commission published a report on 29 May which said the council "lacks a full appreciation of the seriousness of its current circumstances". "The council does not currently have the capacity to carry forward the changes that are needed and immediate action needs to be taken to recruit a new and experienced chief executive."
The council now has three months to decide accept any or all of the recommendations.
