hazyday83

Why is the council targeting Aith, Baltasound, Skerries, Whalsay schools etc. All in outlying areas furthest from the centre of the mainland? Why is Mossbank, Cunningsburgh and Tingwall not on the list. Shorter commuter distances with no ferry journey? I am bemused at the councils approach to saving money by simply shutting things. Start from the top and start cutting staff. Budge is costing the council £100,000 a year to come up with these hairbrained ideas. We must all fight for the rural schools and ask questions why we are being targeted so heavily with cuts.

Utterly shocked too. Do they not realise how important the rural communities are to Shetland. Centralising education is not the answer to save money. It is detremental to the children travelling and they want to put our children on a ferry every day to Yell. It is truley obsurd. They should come and live outwith Lerwick and try the things they are wanting to implement!! I truley wish you all the best in your fight and thats what it will need to be a hard fight.

Isn't it incredible the council is cutting care to the elderly when you see the pictures of them in their council chamber what is the average age? I think they would need to seriously consider their short term future care! Gritting paths in Lerwick surely is a 'nice to have' the man going round with his mini gritter. Here our gritter drives closer to the path and it is job done! Put schools in control of their own budget and tell every school to find a 3% saving within it's own costs. make the spongers of the system sitting rent free in their homes get off their arses and contribute.

(** mod edit - thread title changed **) I am in dismay again they are mentioning closing the Baltasound school but are they really going to put bairns on a ferry every day and in bad weather on one of the strongest tides. I wish councillers based on the Mainland would come and trial the jouney for a week and reallly throw out the idea. Fixed link would be the answer but Unst would be 3rd on the list to be considered behind Bressay and then Whalsay who's schools are not being threatened. Frozen meals for elderly people is a total outrage and surely it would cost more to provide this than to make a pan of mince and tatties or soup for example. plain, ordinary grub for our treasured residents. I understand about cost cutting and saving reserves for a rainy day but surely THIS is the rainy day they talk about.

As a person who lives far from Lerwick, i of course think it is a disgusting desicion to build Mareel. 7 million pounds of council funding and a heavy subsidy each year to run the place, financial suicide. I find it utterly insane for the council to take on a social project like this in the central belt with one hand and are trying to destroy communities by depriving them of a local school for their children with the other hand. I think this council need to get a reality check and when considering money and 'cuts'. Stop capital projects unless totally necessary and look at ways in which existing buildings etc can be more cost effective for example schools could have a small wind turbine to counteract the cost of heating. I could rant all day about this, as i see it all as a bit of common sense.