Following the local elections in May 2007 the Council leadership group comprised 12 Independent and 3 Conservative Councillors. This Administration Group is committed to delivering high quality, cost effective services to the Moray community and comparisons with other authorities show that we are a high performing authority and manage to keep the Council Tax below the Scottish average. The Council will, however, face a very challenging situation over the next few years.

Scottish Local Authorities will face severe financial restrictions over the lifetime of this Administration. The Scottish Government is requiring Councils to meet the costs of equal pay for staff, and services continue to be under pressure due to the demographic situation with increasing numbers of elderly people requiring care services.

The Council is also committed to developing a Public Private Partnership (PPP) Scheme to rebuild Elgin Academy and Keith Primary school.

The Scottish Government has committed to freezing Council Tax at current levels for the duration of their term of office and has also made it clear that any savings in education budgets due to falling rolls must be used to fund reductions in class sizes.

In this situation, it is more important than ever that scarce financial resources are used to fund priorities.

Against this background, the Administration has reviewed the Moray Community Plan 2006 – 2010 and agreed the following list of priorities :-

Flood Alleviation

We will protect communities across Moray and lobby the Scottish Government to provide maximum funding for flood alleviation schemes and to simplify flooding legislation.

Educational Attainment

We will work to improve levels of achievement and attainment in Moray schools.

Care of Older People

We will develop modern care services for older people and allow people to be cared for in their own homes for as long as possible.

Community Safety

We will work to make Moray safer and will improve road safety, reduce anti social behaviour and lessen the impact that the drink culture has on our communities.

Affordable Housing

We will work with the public and private sectors to maximise the number of affordable homes to rent and to buy in Moray.

Rural Development

We will encourage residential and commercial development in rural communities.

Elgin Traffic Management

We will support and lobby for an Elgin Bypass and improve the roads infrastructure in Elgin in order to alleviate traffic congestion.

Economic Development and Tourism

We will support and promote economic development in Moray and support the sustainable growth and development of the tourism industry.