PUPILS and staff at West Dunbartonshire's schools could move to a four-day week as the local council looks for ways to plug a budget gap of nearly £15 million.

The local authority is facing a £14.6 million shortfall in its finances and the move to only provide statutory education across four days is forecast to save the council £1.3m in 2023/24, rising to £2m in 2024/25.

The proposals would include "non-curriculum led activities held for targeted groups of pupils on the fifth day within high schools".

A final decision on the proposal will be taken when councillors set the authority's budget and council tax rate for the new financial year at a meeting on March 1.

A report by WDC's education chief says: "Under this proposal schools would continue to meet their statutory provision of learning and teaching time across a four-day week.

"Primary schools would open Monday-Thursday, 8:30am until 3:45pm, providing pupils with the same amount of teaching time across four days, instead of five.

"Secondary schools will run an eight period day, Monday-Thursday, 8:20am until 4:10pm.

"Various start and finish times in all schools could be explored to provide the same hours of learning. Models that vary the length of day by season could also be explored (shorter days in winter/heating season could result in a larger saving).

"It is proposed that a programme of extra-curricular activities for the fifth day is developed to ensure provision for vulnerable and at risk children.

"As secondary school buildings are required to be open through the council’s contract with BAM, these could be utilised as venues for delivering the programme."

Council chief executive Peter Hessett said: “Officers have undertaken a significant amount of work while preparing these budget options, with a view to enabling the Council to deliver a balanced budget.

"While we all want to protect and preserve the services our communities rely on most, and have strived to minimise the impact on our communities and employees, the scale of the financial challenge is unprecedented.

“I recognise the publication of these options will be unsettling for residents who rely on services and are already experiencing challenges due to the cost of living.

"Sadly the council is not immune from those same pressures: inflation, interest rates, increased fuel and utility costs, combined with the funding the council will receive from the Scottish Government amounting to a real-terms decrease compared with 2022/23."

A first tranche of savings was approved by councillors in December, reducing the budget gap from its initial £21 million.

Now additional changes have been proposed by officers across a number of services in a second tranche to be considered by councillors.

Among them is an option to carry out a review of the current community facilities provision, which the authority says has been under utilised post-pandemic.

Under this option, which has the potential to achieve a saving of £257,000 in both 2023/24 and 2024/25, communities would be supported to explore taking on ownership through asset transfer.

Councillors will also consider options around the pricing structure and eligibility for the Care of Gardens maintenance scheme, which has the potential to save £440,000 per annum.

Elsewhere, a three-weekly bin collection cycle could be introduced, which as well as improving the area’s recycling rate, would save the council £50,000 in 2023/24, rising to £150,000 the following year.

Options to reduce the Communities and Working4U teams could generate a saving of almost £1.6million between them.

Councillors will also consider options around the pricing structure and eligibility for the Care of Garden maintenance scheme, which has the potential to save £440,000 per annum.