Highland Council report into coronavirus-related staff impact, pushed back as councillors set to talk about financial black hole caused by Covid-19 lockdown
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HIGHLAND councillors are discussing a dire assessment of its financial situation today – but a report titled Covid Staff Health, Wellbeing and Safety Impact has been delayed until later this month.
Edward Foster, head of corporate finances, has laid out two tentative scenarios that could see the budget gap this year sit somewhere between £67 million and £97 million due to the impact of coronavirus.
But he admitted: "It is simply not possible to say with any certainty what the direct financial impact on the council will be, save that it will be significant."
And although the Covid Staff Health, Wellbeing and Safety Impact report remains an item on the agenda for today's corporate resources committee meeting, when asked where the missing report was last night, the local authority stated: "Deferred to council meeting on June 25."
A full council meeting on June 25 is expected to include details of measures taken and powers exercised in response to the coronavirus, while the focus will be on "Highland Council recovery" – understanding the impact of Covid-19 and planning for the future.
