North Ayrshire Council is to engage with residents as it faces another challenging Budget, with major cuts planned for 2027-28, including a reduction in teacher numbers, a review of Active Schools staffing, and increased council fees.
A Budget gap of up to £8.3 million is expected next year – excluding any assumptions on potential increases to Council Tax or the use of reserves – and savings will be required to deliver a balanced budget for 2027-28.
Proposed Savings and Cuts
Among the areas where the council are seeking the views of communities are maintaining the current alignment of teaching resources across North Ayrshire schools to the pupil roll and the anticipated Grand Aided Expenditure (GAE) allocation from the Scottish Government Settlement. The pupil roll is declining annually and the GAE allocation from the Scottish Government – which is partially based on that – is reducing as a result.
This would maintain the pupil-teacher ratio of 12.4, which still compares favourably to the 13.2 Scottish average. It represents a reduction of 13 teacher posts from August 2027 and a total saving of £971,700 between 2027-28 and 2028-29.
Other proposals include a review of funding levels for Employability & Skills, which would save £1,361,700 over two years, and a review of Active Schools provision, which could impact up to four posts and save £247,000 in 2027-28.
Fees and Charges
There is a proposed increase of three per cent for council fees and charges for 2027-28 in line with current inflation levels. There is no proposed increase to school meal charges, which remains at £2.05. This proposal would save £103,000 next year.
All the proposals represent total cuts of £3,327,300 over two years.
Community Engagement
In recent years, the council has made significant savings and undertaken a major transformation in service delivery, generating additional income through initiatives like new solar PV farms. Despite these ongoing efforts and prudent budget management, it remains increasingly difficult to close the gap, the council claim.
Given the scale of the financial challenge, the council is conducting engagement with residents to find out how the 2027-28 Budget may affect communities across North Ayrshire. At a meeting of Full Council on Wednesday, a series of areas were highlighted for community engagement.
The feedback received during this engagement – being launched today – will help inform councillors when they meet early in 2027 to set the Budget.
Councillor Christina Larsen, Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement, said: “It is no secret that public sector organisations are continuing to feel the strain of setting a budget when funding isn’t keeping pace with the rising demand for services.
“We know that our communities rely heavily on the services we provide every day, which is why feedback is so crucial. By sharing your experiences and views through our survey, it will help ensure all elected members are informed before any decisions are taken early in 2027.”
Residents and groups are encouraged to take part in the online survey which is now open. Paper copies of the survey will be available in local libraries and KA Leisure facilities. Alternatively, residents can call the Council’s Contact Centre on 01294 310000 and the survey can be filled in over the phone. The contact centre is open Monday to Thursday from 9am to 4.45pm and Friday from 9am to 4.30pm.
Additionally, over the coming weeks, council officers will meet with community groups and stakeholders to gather their views on how any changes might impact them.
