Clackmannanshire Consultation Database

The public were invited to make representation on the impact of the potential transfer of the Ben Cleuch Centre to Ochils Community Trust.

There were 70 representations received during the public notice period from individuals and groups which included comments for the proposal, against and neutral comments.

The descriptions of the potential impact on the community described in the comments from the public will be taken into consideration in the formal assessment of the proposal.

Once the proposal has been formally assessed, a recommendation will be presented to a forthcoming meeting of Planning Committee for a decision.

We asked for views on the draft actions for our new BSL Plan.

Respondents were happy with the proposed actions.  

We also received some specific suggestions for how we could improve access to Council Services for BSL users. 

Where possible we included suggestions or amended existing draft actions as relevent.  Some actions are already in progress.

The revised draft actions were approved by Council on the 21st of May 2026. 

The approved BSL Plan will be translated into BSL and will  be available from our website. 

The Council’s annual budget engagement exercise ran from 11 December 2025 to 18 January 2026 and sought residents' views on a range of officer policy savings proposals.  

An initial Equality and Fairer Scotland Impact Assessment was published at the same time.

A total of 203 responses were received, supplemented by direct representations from a number of stakeholder groups.

Feedback received through the engagement has been categorised under key themes, with associated potential impacts and mitigation considerations summarised for each.

The broad themes were as follows:

• Council Tax
• Fees and charges
• Education and support services
• Community Services, covering community facilities, waste management and winter maintenance.

Across all themes, respondents emphasised the continued effect of cost of living pressures, particularly for vulnerable residents and those on lower incomes, and the need to prioritise the protection of frontline services.

Feedback also highlighted concerns regarding potential widening of inequalities, possible negative impacts on educational attainment, and longer term implications for demand on Council services.

A significant proportion of respondents expressed the view that the Council should  first pursue internal efficiencies before implementing reductions to public services. Common mitigation themes included reducing senior management expenditure,  strengthening debt recovery processes, reducing reliance on external consultancy support, exploring service-sharing arrangements with neighbouring councils, and maximising the use of existing assets such as Kilncraigs.

A dominant theme throughout the engagement was the strong support for protecting services for children and vulnerable groups, alongside a broader expectation that the Council should continue to promote the health and wellbeing of local communities.

Councillors met on 26 February 2026 and agreed the £181 million revenue budget for 2026/27. 

£239m of capital investment in Clackmannanshire over the next 20 years was also approved.

All respondents’ views were taken into account.

Savings of £3.6m were approved alongside a 5.6% increase in council tax and a 4% increase in charges for discretionary services.