Dundee school pool closures back on the table as council unveils cost-saving proposals

Closing school swimming pools and cuts to waste collection services are again among the options Dundee City Council are looking at to balance next year’s budget.

A fresh report from council chiefs has unveiled a series of cost-cutting measures which they say will save the local authority around £4.3m.

This comes as the council is staring down the barrel of a £8.4m budget shortfall for the next financial year.

The report will be presented to councillors at a city governance committee meeting next week, where they will be asked to approve a public consultation on the savings options.

If approved, the consultation is expected to commence at the end of this month and will run for four weeks.

Among the options put forward by council officers is the closure of the swimming pools in Baldragon Academy, Harris Academy and St John’s RC High School.

This, they say, could save the council £258,000 in 2026/27 and 2027/28.

Changes to the frequency of waste and recycling collection are also among the options put forward.

This would save the council £72,000 in 2026/27 and £143,000 in 2027/28.

Other possible options include:

Changes to school crossing patroller services
Ceasing the lifeguarding service provided on a seasonal basis at Broughty Ferry Beach
The withdrawal of the summer opening hours at Baldovie and Riverside recycling centres.
Cease to provide maintenance of public space CCTV cameras
A review of the level of financial support provided for events in the city centre that celebrate St Andrews Day and Christmas
Proposals to reduce Devolved School Management budgets by 1%

Depute convener of the city governance committee, with responsibility for finance, Willie Sawers said: “The financial challenges facing the council make the decisions we take to set a balanced budget for the year ahead increasingly difficult.

“As with households, the council’s bills for essentials like utilities and services have also gone up.

“Despite that we remain focused on protecting frontline services in next year’s budget, the reality is that the difficult choices we take will impact on the lives of everyone in Dundee.

“It is important that people have a chance to have their say on the options put forward by officers and by taking part in the budget consultation they can do that.

“The council has limited resources at its disposal and members of the public can tell us what areas they think should be prioritised.

“It should be made clear that none of the savings proposals have been taken up. We need the views of people to best understand their priorities and any impacts that changes will have on them.

“The more people who take part, by giving detailed feedback, the more informed our decisions in the budget-setting process will be.”