Council tax freeze given the green light

Residents in East Renfrewshire won’t pay a penny more in council tax for the next year.

As expected, the leadership has frozen the levy in a draft budget passed unanimously yesterday.

The council had been expecting a one per cent cut in Scottish Government funding and, instead, got a half a per cent rise.

In return for freezing the tax, the local authority will get a £1.5million reward from Holyrood.

The new budget takes £3m from cash reserves, but savings of £3.5m may still be needed.

It is still hoped that cuts on service spending can reduce the deficit by the time the budget is approved by the full council next month.

Council leader Tony Buchanan has praised his staff for their virus resolve.

He said: “The impact of Covid-19 has been felt by all of us and my thoughts are with those families who have lost loved ones through this dreadful virus.

“Throughout the last year, I have also been immensely proud to be leader of East Renfrewshire Council as I saw the resolve of council staff to continue going the extra mile to deliver for our residents.

“From the staff involved in introducing new services at very short notice, such as the humanitarian food hub and processing new business grants, to our colleagues who continued to work right on the frontline – the efforts have been incredible.”

Councillors were told Covid-19 related costs since last March have cost the authority about £9m.

Councillor Buchanan added: “Despite these challenges, I am delighted that we are able to bring forward a budget with a much smaller shortfall than had been originally predicted in October.

“Freezing council tax will also help to reduce household bills at a time when people are struggling from the financial consequences of Covid-19.

“The measures I have outlined will ensure we continue to deliver high-quality services as well as supporting residents and the wider local economy as we recover from the hardships of coronavirus.”

At the full meeting of East Renfrewshire Council on March 15 the budget will be approved and the authority promises “ambitious capital plans for major projects”.