Councillors budget joy
SNP get budget through −but opponents hit out at cuts and council taxrise
SNP councillors hailed their first budget as a minority administration in South Lanarkshire as a boost for some of the region’s most vulnerable people.
Leader John Ross says their package for 2018/19 is the “most progressive” for many years despite criticism from the Labour and Tory groups.
SNP councillors hailed their first budget as a minority administration in South Lanarkshire as a boost for some of the region’s most vulnerable.
As part of the 2018/19 budget, which was approved by the full council last Wednesday, 65 more teachers and classroom assistants will be recruited for local schools while 50 additional staff will be trained to work in nurseries and another 50 to help care for the elderly.
More school pupils will receive free school meals and clothing grants while plans will progress to introduce breakfast clubs in schools and free lunches during the holiday periods.
However, a package of £15 million of cuts was rubber stamped at a meeting of the executive committee beforehand and a three per cent hike in council tax agreed.
The Tory Group accused the SNP of “grabbing headlines” rather than helping communities and Labour said ratepayers would see very little frontline benefits from the £3.8m generated by the increase in council tax.
An amendment was tabled by the Tories to raise council tax by one per cent with the shortfall coming from reserves.
But this was defeated after the SNP won support from the Independent Group and the council’s sole Liberal Democrat for their budget.
Labour abstained at the full council meeting following heated exchanges when they were told they couldn’t put forward an amendment to boost funding by £3m for the carriageway resurfacing programme and £100,000 to save the Ashley Grant Day Care Centre for the elderly in East Kilbride.
Officers said the decision to approve the savings package and new initiatives within the revenue budget had already been taken by the executive committee and Labour’s amendment was “incompetent”.
Cllr Walter Brogan, deputy leader of the Labour Group, said: “There was much that South Lanarkshire Labour could agree with in the budget put in front of us.
“Unfortunately, the SNP administration refused to back our proposals to invest £3m of additional money into roads and to remove the closure of the Ashley Grant Day Care Centre in East Kilbride.
“Each and every week, and especially at this time of the year, every councillor will have people contact them in regards to the state of the roads in their area.
“South Lanarkshire Labour listened and our proposals would have gone a long way to help.”
Cllr Brogan added: “The council tax rise will generate £3.8m but the SNP’s budget is not giving a large part of that back to our communities.”
Council leader John Ross made an impassioned plea to councillors and said voting against his minority administration would be voting against initiatives to help children, the elderly and vulnerable and his group and the people of South Lanarkshire “would never let them forget it”.
He went on: “A lot of hard work and thought has gone into preparing a budget which makes the very best use of the resources available to the council.
“And what could be better use than making sure that we do everything we can to give our young people the best start in life, make sure those who need it most are fed and clothed, and in doing so help close the attainment gap?
“The result is what I think most people will agree is the most progressive budget for South Lanarkshire Council for many years.
“By transforming and modernising our services we will continue to make sure that resources are available to help transform lives, especially those the youngest, eldest and most vulnerable in our communities.”
But Tory leader Alex Allison said: “Many families are struggling to get by and most workers face more income tax. This budget will make life harder still by imposing the maximum three per cent council tax rise.
“Despite what has been said the public will come to realise what this budget actually means – it is all about headlines and not the services we give to our constituents.”
Liberal Democrat Robert Brown added: “In this budget there are some good things for people in our local areas.
“I think it is broadly positive
I think it is broadly positive ... on that basis I support it.
Cllr Robert Brown
and it is on that basis I have decided to support it. It is good for the people in my ward of Rutherglen South and for the wider population of South Lanarkshire.”