City of Helsinki plans to close down schools, health centres, libraries

More than 80 service points found on the list to save EUR 10 million

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The City of Helsinki has drawn up an unprecedented list of planned closures.
     
A report prepared under the direction of Helsinki Mayor Jussi Pajunen (National Coalition Party) affects more than 80 service points, including schools, libraries, health centres, daycare centres, youth centres, dental clinics, and sports facilities.
      According to the City’s offices, these services are either not required or are inadequately used.
      The list contains for example more than 20 schools which are supposed to be closed down or to be combined with other schools over the period from 2011 to 2014.
      ”This is an effort to find ways to meet the cost-cutting requirements”, Pajunen argues.
     
If all suggested closures were carried out, the City would save more than EUR 10 million annually spent to rent space for premises, Pajunen says.
      According to the Mayor, it would be sensible to minimise the number of walls - in other words buildings. Another alternative would be to reduce the number of services or employees.
      ”The City’s largest item of expenditure is the staff”, Pajunen notes.
     
The City Council has already decided that in 2011 a total of nearly EUR 100 million will have to be sliced off the capital’s budget of close to EUR 4 billion.
      Potential reductions will be decided upon by politicians, which is why a working group on the service network set up by the City Board will begin to handle the list of proposed closures next week.
      Final decisions will be made by the City Council next year.


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Helsingin Sanomat