Taxriseplan
Improved picture but £16m cuts needed
Taxpayers in Rutherglen and Cambuslang are being told they will need to fork out to stop more council cuts.
Councillors are due to meet today, Wednesday, to discuss next year’s budget. Included among the proposals is a three per cent increase in council tax.
Tax payers in Rutherglen and Cambuslang are being told they will need to fork out to stop more council cuts.
Councillors are due to meet today, Wednesday, to discuss next year’s budget.
Included among the proposals is a three per cent increase in council tax, the first in a decade, netting the local authority £3.8 million over the year.
A paper to councillors will put forward three options for council tax, including rises of one and two per cent.
However, the document states: “It is proposed the budget strategy include an anticipated increase in council tax of three per cent.
“Final approval of council tax levels will be made at a future meeting of South Lanarkshire Council.
“An increase of three per cent would benefit the strategy by £3.8m.”
Despite the additional revenue, cuts of around £16m will still be needed to balance the budget for 2018/19, with frontline services very much remaining under threat.
It had originally been anticipated that over £23m would need to be slashed.
Officers have removed or reduced 35 savings from the proposed budget.
Football parks at Burnhill and Halfway could continue to be maintained at the current level while plans to save £105,000 by increasing charges for under-16s clubs has been recommended for removal.
Lightburn Elderly Association project and the Cambuslang Childcare Project could both retain their funding and cuts to out of hours noise services could be halved.
A reprieve for the mobile library, used over 700 times in Rutherglen and Cambuslang in the last financial year, is also suggested.
Officers also suggest retaining current opening hours at Cathkin, Halfway and Rutherglen libraries.
Behaviour support in secondary schools could be retained and a proposal to charge for meals at adult day centres is also in line to be removed.
Funds have also been identified for free breakfast clubs in primary schools (£225,000), holiday lunch clubs in areas such as Whitlawburn and Springhall (£225,000) and free lets to parent councils (£70,000).
The minority SNP administration will need support from either Labour or the Tories to get their budget through.
It is likely the issue will be continued at today’s meeting, with a final decision made at the end of next month.
An increase of three per cent would benefit the strategy by £3.8 million