Scots council could close 130 public buildings 'to avoid running out of money'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Scots council could close more than 130 public buildings in a desperate bid to plug a £67 million hole in its budget.Residents in Falkirk have been warned that dozens of community centres, sports complexes and concert halls will be shuttered in the coming years unless volunteer organisations agree to take them on.Councillors have been told they must take "urgent steps to avoid running out of money"The local authority also blamed environmental regulations for its plan to off-load properties - claiming many of them are "not energy efficient and would prevent the council from achieving its climate change targets".It comes as all 32 councils across Scotland grapple with an estimated combined budget black hole of £1.2 billion.Willie Rennie, Scottish Lib Dems communities spokesman, said: "This is an especially powerful statement as Falkirk has a SNP Council and an area represented by four SNP constituency MPs and MSPs, including a Cabinet Secretary in the SNP Government. "It should send a sobering message to the SNP Government - if you don’t fund councils properly these facilities and services will be devastated."The GMB trade union has blamed governments at both Holyrood and Westminster for creating the crisis by “passing the buck on austerity” on to councils for over a decade.

Among the properties at risk of closure in the Falkirk Council area are Bo'ness Town Hall, the Dobbie Hall in Larbert, Grangemouth Town Hall, Polmonthill snowsports centre and Grangemouth Stadium.Councillors have set aside £6m to help community organisations take on some of the properties."The council faces a £67 million budget gap over the next four years and must take urgent steps to avoid running out of money," a consultation page stated."Currentl