Council pledges £5m to improve our roads
Spending plan unveiled as council tax is frozen for year
■£5m in roads maintenance and improvement
■£800,000 for provision of artificial playing surfaces
■£130,000 for refurbishment and repair of community halls
■£70,000 to supplement existing retail improvement fund
Council tax will be frozen in Renfrewshire in the coming financial year after the SNP administration’s budget passed yesterday.
The party’s overall £547 million spending plan was backed by independent councillor Andy Doig and Liberal Democrat councillor Anne Hannigan during an impassioned summit in the chambers at Renfrewshire House.
The decision to accept Scottish Government funding of just under £4.9m for the freeze means the Band D charge – used as a general measure – will remain at £1,436.17 for 2024/25.
SNP finance convener Councillor John Shaw said taking this step would provide “welcome respite” for households in the local authority.
He added: “Today’s SNP budget protects the council’s financial future and delivers the council’s commitment to create a Fairer Renfrewshire built on innovation, wellbeing and opportunity, where improving outcomes for children and families underpins all that we do.”
Councillor Shaw presented a series of pledges, including a £5m investment in roads, £800,000 for the provision of artificial playing surfaces and £130,000 for the refurbishment and repair of community halls. A previous £10m
The SNP’s budget motion passed – ahead of Labour counter-proposals unveiled by their finance spokesperson Cllr Alison Ann-Dowling, top left – after winning a vote 23 to 17. commitment to fund a replacement Thorn Primary School in Johnstone was also restated with a further £4m of capital resource to be directed to the project.
Other cash commitments included targeted interventions in response to the unrelenting cost-of-living crisis such as £45,000 for Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau and its welfare rights service; £100,000 for summer activities for children and young people from low-income families; and £100,000 to support delivery of the Dolly Parton’s imagination library in Renfrewshire.
A total of almost £8.6m in savings formed part of the process
– but a position of no compulsory redundancies was protected.
General service charges will go up by five per cent while it was later confirmed council tenants will see their rent increase by six per cent.
Labour put forward counterproposals, which included a £7m investment in roads, £2.2m to provide non-means-tested, free healthy snacks in all schools and £300,000 for an interrupted learning service pilot and additional support needs services.
It also wanted to spend £40,000 on facilitating a public transport feasibility study and £10,000 to support community bus service engagement.
Councillor Alison Ann-Dowling, the group’s finance spokesperson, said: “Labour is committed to making life better by supporting dependable, quality public transport, tackling poor housing and road standards and improving mental healthcare and additional support needs education.
“The scope of this budget reflects that it has been set within unprecedented financial constraints and challenges and therefore prioritises available resources on local priorities.”
The party, which also planned to freeze council tax, was backed by Conservative members but it was not enough to derail the administration’s budget. The SNP motion passed after winning a vote 23 to 17.