Provost and fellow councillors.
At this evening’s Budget meeting we have three requirements:
• to set our Housing Revenue and Capital Budget for 2026/27,
• to agree our Council Revenue Budget for 2026/27 and
• to agree our revised Capital Programme and 10-year Capital Investment Plan.
We have two reports before us detailing our proposals to balance the books for the year ahead, and I will go through each report in turn to highlight to Council the rationale for those proposals.
Before presenting these budgets tonight it would be remiss not to once again highlight the ongoing, incredibly challenging financial pressures we continue to face in local government.
As we have consistently reported in recent years, we continue to face ever-increasing demand for our vital services, and the cost of delivering those services also continues to escalate.
The challenging position applies to both capital and revenue budgets. With no respite from ever-increasing construction costs, and the revenue pressures that come with borrowing to meet our capital development aspirations, those aspirations continue to be impacted.
Against this background, we have however brought forward proposals that continue to deliver our essential services and to ensure the immediate and medium-term financial sustainability of this Council.
I will now present each budget in turn.
Housing
Provost, let me begin by outlining the detail of our Housing Revenue and Capital proposals for the year ahead.
I firmly believe that the Housing Revenue and Capital Budget represent good news for our housing estate and, more importantly, for our tenants.
I am pleased to announce that this year we will improve the standard of our void decoration. Where previously we only partially decorated void properties prior to re-letting, we are moving to a full decoration standard which will improve the look and feel of our properties and provide an enhanced standard of let to our tenants.
To balance the housing revenue account for 2026/27, our proposed rent increase is just 4%. This is the third lowest of the 15 comparison authorities considered in our budget planning process, and significantly lower than the comparison average of 6.24%. It will see an average weekly rent of £105.63 over 48 weeks, an increase of £4.06 per week.
We are also proposing that lock up and garage rents be increased by just 4%, with the cost of lock ups rising from £12.71 to £13.22 per week over 48 weeks, an increase of 51 pence per week.
Our Housing Capital Investment Plan has been developed with two over-arching strategic priorities:
- to improve the energy efficiency and quality of our existing housing stock, delivering refurbishment and ensuring compliance, and
- to increase the supply of affordable housing throughout East Dunbartonshire, through both Council led development projects and the purchase of houses on the open market.
We propose to invest a total of £9.57 million pounds across our existing housing estate.
This includes: £5 million on energy efficiency; £2.87 million on housing quality, including our replacement programme for windows, doors, kitchens, bathrooms and roofs; and £1.1 million on legislative compliance.
To increase our affordable housing supply, we are allocating £32.419 million. Our current affordable housing investment programme includes a total of 308 new properties being developed, across nine sites, right across East Dunbartonshire.
Construction is well underway at the Twechar Canalside site, and this coming year will see construction begin at a further six sites, including the former Merkland School site in late summer and Auchinairn Primary School site in late 2026 subject to planning.
Our commitment to building these new homes to Passivhaus standards maximises energy efficiency and minimises heat demand. It delivers the twin goals of negligible carbon emissions and addressing fuel poverty. Good news indeed for our current and future tenants. And progress towards our Council net zero carbon commitments.
We are again investing a further £4 million in open market purchases this year, to continue our approach of purchasing around 25 properties a year, focusing on areas where it is challenging to build to meet specific local demand.
Provost, I have considered the amendment that has been submitted in relation to the Housing Revenue and Capital Budget, which I simply cannot accept. It has already been a decision of this Council, a key element of our ambitious housing business plan, that we should progress the construction of over 300 much needed affordable homes in the area. Our proposal therefore remains, to continue with all nine sites, to deliver on this commitment.
Council Revenue Budget
Provost, on now to our Council Revenue Budget.
As I set out at the start, and as laid out in the reports before us tonight, the challenges facing local government nationally and locally remain. We continue to face increasing pressure and greater demand for our vital services, and the cost of delivering those services continues to rise.
Our commitment, set out in 2022 through our ‘East Dunbartonshire Forward in Partnership’ agenda is cognisant of financial pressures and the impacts of demographic change. Through our proposals tonight, we are continuing to deliver priority outcomes across our communities within the context of those financial constraints.
So firstly, let me outline the financial position:
Our required expenditure for 2026/27 is £395.641 million pounds.
Our indicative income is £371.970 million pounds.
So, a funding gap of £23.671 million pounds needs to be bridged through the decisions we take here in the chamber this evening.
Before highlighting how we plan to close that gap and deliver a balanced revenue budget for the year ahead, it is critical that we remind ourselves of the need to safeguard our own financial sustainability and that of the HSCP. No mean feat set against the backdrop of previous years, the current difficult financial situation – and with consideration of the ongoing challenges in years to come.
The financial efficiencies to balance the 2026/27 budget include a combination of measures, in line with our established transformative agenda and budget reduction strategy. They include:
- Budget challenges by the Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer across Council and HSCP services – which have delivered over £5.6 million in efficiencies
- Management actions in relation to operational efficiencies, saving over £10.6 million
- A range of political decisions that equate to an in-year impact of almost £1 million.
At this point I’m sure my fellow councillors will join me in acknowledging the significant work undertaken by our Council officers to deliver every possible cost reduction and reduce our revenue spend. The papers before you summarise those considerable efforts and the management decisions taken to reach this point.
Amidst our Budget efficiencies, I am delighted to advise Council that we are in a position to reinstate our much needed Community Grant Fund, following the cessation of UK Shared Prosperity Fund – which will benefit our grass-roots community organisations and support our community empowerment and development ambitions.
The political decisions we will come on to debate.
But I firmly believe our proposals represent the very best possible approach to reducing our costs, increasing our income and continuing to deliver our priority services in the heart of our communities.
This combined approach of management actions and political decisions brings us to combined total efficiency savings of £18.29 million. This leaves a remaining financial gap of £5.38 million pounds, which would equate to a Council Tax rise of 6.5%.
However, Provost, as the reports before us clearly outline, our HSCP also faces significant financial pressures and a funding gap of £2.345 million. We see in Audit Scotland’s Financial Bulletin on HSCP finances, included in our papers tonight, that Scotland’s Integrated Joint Boards are in a critical financial position. That Audit Scotland report goes on to emphasise that partner council and NHS boards must work collaboratively to set realistic budgets at the start of the financial year and minimise any need for additional in-year contributions.
Provost, it is imperative that we support our HSCP and the vital social care services they deliver to our most vulnerable residents. We are therefore proposing a further 3% increase in Council Tax charges, to specifically meet and baseline the HSCP shortfall.
We are therefore proposing a total Council Tax increase of 9.5%.
Council Tax rises of between 4% and 10% have been reported elsewhere across the country. Our 9.5% rise would see a Band D property charge increase from £1,599 per year to £1,751 - an annual increase of £151.97.
Capital Programme
On then to our revised Capital Programme.
Provost, we continue with our plans to ensure our communities can access the best of facilities here in East Dunbartonshire.
Our capital investment plans for 2026/27 will include:
- Commencement of the Westerhill Development Road.
- Bishopbriggs Town Centre redevelopment improvements.
- Ongoing construction of our new Balmuildy Primary School, with phase 1 due to complete in Spring 2027.
- Completion of the Milngavie Primary School refurbishment works by summer of this year.
- Preconstruction works for the new Westerton Primary School.
- £1 million in investment to bring forward design proposals for new sports pavilions and associated facilities in Oakburn Park, Milngavie and Merkland, Kirkintilloch.
During the course of 2026/27 officers will also be engaging with the school and wider communities to present new-build options for our four CLASP schools at Harestanes PS, Meadowburn PS, Baljaffray PS and St Helen’s PS.
Our refreshed Corporate Asset Management Plan is also included in our reports tonight. This important plan details the management of our assets and includes our decarbonisation proposals across our Corporate and Education estates and also for our fleet.
Amendments
And so Provost I move on to the amendments that have been submitted in relation to our Council Revenue Budget.
In the interests of taking a consensual approach to the Council budget across the Chamber, I am minded to accept the common elements of the amendments from Councillors Moir and Moody in relation to increasing road closure and temporary traffic light costs by 100%.
On that basis I am happy to accept the amendment by Councillor Moir to retain the status quo for Snack and Play. While recognising the pressures in the programme, it is one that I think brings significant benefit to our communities, and if full provision can be retained we would want to do so.
Similarly, the proposal to restructure nursery teachers is a significant change and not an easy decision, with arguments on both sides. While it would bring substantial savings in future years, we have listened to the concerns and on balance would agree not to proceed with the change at this time, noting that there are no budgetary implications for 2026/27.
Having said that, I would caution that, with every likelihood of continuing financial challenges, it will not always be possible to reject options that deliver savings only in future years.
However, Provost, I simply cannot accept the proposal by Councillor Moody to withhold much-needed critical additional funding for our HSCP. Removing that funding would impact the most vulnerable people in this area and deprive them of vital social care services needed to support their quality of life.
To put this into context, if this critical additional funding of £2.345m were not supported, here are some examples of care we would NOT be able to provide:
- 45 nursing care home placements per year,
or - care at home for in excess of 140 people per week for a year,
or - 7 children's complex residential care placements per year
This Administration will not support such cuts.
Turning to Councillor Moody’s further proposals, I cannot agree that providing food waste bags is a critical function of this Council. And the proposal to add school crossing patrollers to sites where we have established mechanised crossings is simply not achievable given the continued significant vacancies we face in this sector of the workforce that we continue to be unable to fill.
In Conclusion
Provost, I truly believe that this budget tonight meets our financial challenges head on. It sets a balanced budget without the need for the use of reserves. And it seeks to safeguard our immediate and our medium-term financial position.
And with that, I commend the Administration’s three budgets to Council tonight.
- Our Housing Revenue and Capital Budget for 2026/27
- The Council Revenue Budget for 2026/27 and
- The Council Capital Budget and revised 10 year Capital Programme.
Thank you.
Council Leader Gordan Low
