Financial Competence?

Well, well, well ... remember last February and the setting of the 2008/09 Council budget?

A bright, new future for Edinburgh - was it not:

• "Council finances are now back onto a stable course" - Councillor Dawe, Council Leader
• "We now have the budget under control" - Councillor MacLaren, Convener of Education

Now then, just look at the Month 3 (yes, only Month 3!) financial figures for the Council's two largest Departments (you'd better sit down first, if you have a weak constitution) ...

• first, have a read at paragraph 3.1 here - which shows a £4.4million projected overspend in the Health & Social Care Department budget at the end of Month 3
• worse still, have a look at paragraph 3.1(a) here - which shows a £8.9million projected overspend in the Education, Children & Families Department budget at the end of Month 3

In both of these Departments, further significant management actions (code for yet more front-line services cuts?) are now being employed to bring these budgets into line.

Financial competence?

Sadly, as I've said before, this is NOT now a Council which is 'service-driven' ...

... but the mechanistic-approach adopted last February - one of "knowing the cost of everything but the value of nothing" - also now appears to be failing miserably.

Not good for Edinburgh, not good at all.