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The Council met last Thursday (23 February) to agree the Revenue Budget and Capital Programme for 2023/24 and the Housing Revenue and Capital Budget for the same period.
Our estimated expenditure for 2023/24 is just over £322 million and our available funding is £301.4 million, leaving a funding gap of £20.6 million - the largest the Council has ever faced in a one-year period.
A Council Tax increase of 5% was agreed, reducing the funding gap by an additional £1.37 million and increasing the annual Band D charge by £67.41.
To address the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and to mitigate the Council Tax increase, a further £1.5 million was allocated to ongoing cost-of-living support measures, including:
- Pensioner support payment
- Homelessness Hardship Fund
- Community capacity building and community grants
- Free swim and gym sessions for young people
- Introducing a household support payment
- Continuing with the doubled school clothing grant award for a further year.
To deliver the remaining savings, a transformative approach will be taken forward to deliver our services as efficiently and effectively as possible through a locality-based model. This will take time, so the savings are being underwritten by Council Reserves, which we have been able to increase to accommodate this due to new rules that were introduced earlier this financial year.
The transformative approach will mean changes to the way we deliver services and will undoubtedly result in change for our workforce. I would like to assure you all that we will work with you and the trades unions as the work progresses and we will keep you advised of developments through our established communications channels.
The Capital Programme was also agreed for 2023/24 continuing with commitments already in the programme and several new projects, including: £3 million for a new recycling centre; an additional £1 million to extend Cadder Cemetery; an additional £1 million per year (baselined) for road and footpath upgrades; and commitment to feasibility studies to replace St Helen’s, Meadowburn, Harestanes and Baljaffray Primaries – all identified as unsuitable for refurbishment.
A longer-term Corporate Asset Management Plan is also being developed, aligned to the Climate Action Plan so that it can incorporate carbon neutral and net zero targets, and this will be reported to Council later this year.
In terms of the Housing Budget, a rent increase of 4.2 percent was agreed, increasing the average weekly rent, based on a 52-week period, by £3.38 from £80.38 to £83.76.
The agreed Housing capital budget for 2023/24 is £20.98 million, including: investing just over £7.4 million to improve the quality and energy efficiency of existing Council houses and investing £6.68 million for the development of new affordable housing.
You can read the Council Leader’s Budget Speech in full, the news release with further details on the Council Revenue Budget and Capital Programme and the news release with further details of the Housing Budget through the following links:
Council Budget & Capital Programme News Release
Housing Revenue & Capital Budget News Release
Thank you
Gerry Cornes
Chief Executive
