Financial heat mounts on debt ridden council

Financial pressure will continue to mount on public services across East Renfrewshire.

That was the view of Audit Scotland as they warned of increasing demand for services amid falling budgets in the years to come. The council’s audit was signed off unqualified, meaning the auditors were happy all the important facts were contained within the report.

But the local authority’s debt rose from £140.2m to £177.3m – an increase of more than £37m. An underspend of £7.3m from the general fund was highlighted.