Council leaders defend ‘responsible’ budget

Council leader Aileen Morton has called on the Argyll and Bute community to pull together to secure a successful future for the region.

After Argyll and Bute Council set its 2020/21 budget last Thursday, Councillor Morton said: ‘We must keep fighting. Everyone who cares about Argyll and Bute must continue striving for the successful future it deserves and can achieve. The budget we set today supports our young people, economic growth and the environment on which we all depend. We have protected key support services for young people. We are investing millions to help keep our road network open for business, and we are funding initiatives to protect our climate.

‘We have listened to the views of our communities, to support people now, and look after the future of Argyll and Bute. This, in the circumstances, is the responsible budget for Argyll and Bute.’

Ms Morton also expressed a desire to do more while highlighting the logistical problems faced by the local authority.

‘Geography means we deliver some services most other councils do not, and all our services tend to cost more to deliver. At the same time, Argyll and Bute received a higher than average cut to our funding.

‘Our on-going work, to raise the challenges we face in Argyll and Bute, is starting to make a difference. We recently secured nearly £1 million additional funding to help deliver our ferry services but there is still much more to be done.

‘We must all, in whatever way we can, continue to stand up for Argyll and Bute.’

Councillor Gary Mulvaney, deputy leader and policy lead for financial services and major projects, sounded a word of warning about future demand on council budgets: ‘Demand for council services will continue to exceed council budgets. Managing this means action not only from the council, but also from our partners and key decision-makers.

‘Argyll and Bute’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) supports some of our most vulnerable people. We have therefore allocated more than £60 million, a quarter of the total council budget, to the HSCP, and agreed more time for it to repay debts to the council. This scale of council support cannot continue indefinitely.’

The biodegradable municipal waste ban, which all councils must achieve, will mean another potential £5m of running costs every year, as well as oneoff spending of £2m-4m.

‘We have gone part way to address this challenge by allocating funding for strategic change projects but this national initiative requires national funding. This will be the council’s next funding campaign for Argyll and Bute.’

‘Demand for services will continue to exceed council budgets.’

Council tax bills in Argyll and Bute will go up by 4.5 per cent in April – but some of the authority’s most controversial cost-cutting plans will not be going ahead.

School crossing patrollers, pupil support assistants and educational psychologists have all been spared the axe after spending plans put forward by the authority’s ruling Liberal Democrat, Conservative and independent administration were voted through.

But spending on community-based learning activities for young people and adults will be cut by £184,000, and schools will no longer have the money to hire local halls for PE lessons after funding of £73,000 for that purpose was cut entirely.

The administration also decided not to go ahead with a proposal to save cash by closing public toilets. Instead, 10 of the least-used public toilets across the council area will be promoted for asset transfer, lease or sale.

The administration’s spending plans and council tax increase were backed by 18 of the 31 councillors who attended the authority’s annual budget meeting in Lochgilphead last Thursday.

The agreed budget also includes investment in roads maintenance, footway and cycle path maintenance, and education involving digital learning.

An amended budget put forward by the opposition SNP group, which got 11 votes, wanted to save the community learning development, PE facilities and public conveniences in full.

A second amendment, proposed by Councillor George Freeman and seconded by Councillor Douglas Philand, asked that the meeting be adjourned in order to consider prospective funding announced by the Scottish Government the previous day.

Addressing the meeting, council leader Aileen Morton said: ‘This is the third budget in the life of this council and takes place in unusual circumstances.

‘Some savings choices have been in front of us before, and this current budget is harder due to familiarity. We have heard the same story again and again – cuts to budgets across the country are hitting Argyll and Bute harder than almost every other area.

‘We are looking to the

Council leader Aileen Morton addressed the the administration last week.

future and supporting a broader curriculum across our schools, and economic growth and connectivity supporting our businesses, which are vital to our future.

‘One council service needing a large contribution is waste disposal, and if we can deliver our solutions, we could reduce CO2 emissions by around 19 per cent.

‘Our decision is not just for today, or this year, but it will affect next year and the years to come.

‘We share a belief that Argyll and Bute deserves a bright future, despite the challenges.

‘It is important that, preferably together, we keep fighting, striving for and believing in Argyll and Bute, so that in the future, the story in this chamber will be the positive one it deserves.’

Depute leader Gary Mulvaney added: ‘None of these decisions have been taken in isolation; all have been deliberated over in the context of what is to come in the next few years.

‘It is easy to leave it all to another day, but that headsin-the-sand approach only leads to more pain for the future. We have a budget that focuses on the future as well as today.’