COUNCIL axemen have delivered a list of proposed cuts for elected members to consider for the coming years.

In order to plug a £17 million shortfall a range of devastating options have been proposed by council officers in their ‘Delivering the Future 2015-2018’ document.

Some include dropping free school milk, cutting the length of the school day, shutting down primary schools, quelling after school care for disabled children and reducing the free school transport distance.

Joyce White, chief executive of West Dunbartonshire Council, said: “Our priority throughout is to make changes that improve and protect the most important services to our residents, as well as protect our existing work force as much as possible. We want that process to be open and transparent.” A proposal to cut the primary school day from 25 hours of teaching per week to 22.5 hours is estimated to save just over £1 million and reduce teacher numbers.

A reduction in staffing for S5 and S6 timetables is set to streamline the teaching day of pupils and save £80,000.

One proposal also suggests that school children could be given water instead of milk, on top of other cost-cutting catering ideas, to save £258,000.

Handing libraries over to WD Leisure would save the council £457,000 — this is a trend seen among other councils in Scotland. Funding to out-of-school care for primary and secondary school kids with significant support needs is proposed to be dropped — which would save £59,000.

Currently, ENABLE Scotland runs the service. The charity and parents will be asked to look elsewhere for funding if it is stopped. An idea has been pitched to reduce the school transport radius to two miles from one mile for primary school pupils and to three miles from two miles for secondary pupils, which would save the council £300,000.

Transferring the management of Clydebank Town Hall to WD Leisure would save the council £100,000.

The reduction in the events budget of the Pro Am Gold competition in Dalmuir, Clydebank Canal Festival and Old Kilpatrick Gala Day are among other reductions for festivities that would save £100,000. A whole other range of cost-cutting measures across West Dunbartonshire are available to view in the document ‘Delivering the Future 2015-2018’.