Window on the past

East Dunbartonshire residents were facing a massive council tax increase of four per cent.

The proposed tax hike was to be decided by councillors during a special budget meeting.

The increase would have seen average band D bills rise by £43.15 to £1,121.

Council leader John Morrison said that a four per cent rise would be needed to maintain and improve services, while compensating for lower than expected Scottish Executive funding of around £153million.

He said: “Despite our poor settlement from the Scottish Executive - one of the lowest in Scotland - and the challenging circumstances we faced last year and continue to face because of it, we believe we have a realistic budget proposal for 2006/07.

“We aim to keep the increase in council tax at or about the indicative level of four per cent.

“This will, I believe, ensure that this council continues to deliver efficient, cost-effective, essential services to the people of East Dunbartonshire.”

The four per cent increase was part of the council’s total budget of almost £205million.

15 years ago

Nurses were leaving Stobhill in droves due to the uncertainty surrounding the hospital’s future, it was claimed.

An insider told the Kirkintilloch and Bishopbriggs Herald that filling vacant posts was becoming a serious issue at the hospital and warned that patient care could suffer if action wasn’t taken quickly to address the problem.

The insider said: “We are finding it extremely difficult to recruit nursing staff, of all grades, into the hospital.

“There is a feeling amongst senior staff that the uncertainty surrounding Stobhill is forcing experienced nurses to apply for jobs elsewhere.

“People are looking to their future and saying to themselves ‘if Stobhill is going to close, then I’m going before it does’.”

The hospital insider confirmed that the staffing situation was having a terrible effect on morale.

The insider went on: “Patient care has not been affected at the moment, but the question is, how long can this go on?

“Staff are very unsettled.

“The senior managers need to give us more information, but no one tells the staff anything.

“There is a feeling that there is no long term job security at Stobhill.”

20 years ago

Scottish Office Minister George Kynoch had pledged to do everything in his power to prevent the misery caused by flooded homes.

His promise to the people of Strathkelvin came following the publication of a consultation paper on options for changing flood prevention legislation in Scotland.

He told the Herald: “No system of flood prevention can give an absolute guarantee of protection. There will always be the possibility of severe weather conditions or a combination of circumstances which results in flooding.”

The Scottish Office and Strathkelvin Region were to both stump up £40,000 to fund a flood survey in the Kelvin Valley.

Mr Kynoch said: “A number of serious flooding incidents over the past 18 months have brought about a need to review the issue of responsibility for flood prevention.

“We have, for some time, been concerned that some local authorities have not given flood prevention the priority it deserves in their programme.

“I am determined that we will do everything in our power to prevent the misery caused when homes are flooded.”

Residents in Strathkelvin had formed a group to campaign for flood prevention.