At its Council Budget Meeting yesterday (Thursday 23 February), East Dunbartonshire Council agreed its General Revenue Budget for 2023/24 and its revised Capital Programme.
With estimated expenditure of just over £322 million and available funding of £301.4 million, the funding gap of £20.6 million was the largest the Council has ever faced in a one-year period.
A Council Tax increase of 5% was agreed, reducing the financial gap by an additional £1.37 million and increasing the annual Band D charge by £67.41.
Council Leader Gordan Low said, “No one likes any increase in Council Tax, but 5%, which is significantly below the current rate of inflation, brings in much needed additional income. And we have mitigated the impact on the hardest-pressed in our communities by putting a further £1.5 million into ongoing cost-of-living support measures - that is on top of the £2.1 million already committed this financial year.
“Our approach to Council Tax and the cost-of-living support has been directly informed by the responses we received to our ‘Have YOUR Say’ consultation exercise. And community engagement and participation is absolutely at the heart of the decisions we are making.”
The cost-of-living support package includes:
- The 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.
The remaining funding gap for the Revenue Budget will be underwritten by Council Reserves whilst a transformation strategy is taken forward that will see efficient, effective services delivered through a locality-based model.
Councillor Low re-emphasised that listening to the community, was at the heart of Council decision making. He said, “Our budget decisions were informed by our ‘Have YOUR say’ consultation. We asked for views on Council Tax increases and feedback on our cost-of-living package and our Budget decisions are based on the feedback we received.
“We will continue to engage with our communities as we transform Council services, ensuring they are as efficient and effective as possible and that we are addressing our cost of living and climate emergency challenges in the process.”
The Capital Programme was agreed for the year ahead, with a longer-term Corporate Asset Management Plan to be reported back to Council later in the year, aligned to the Climate Action Plan – an approach that will ensure that Council assets meet carbon neutral and net zero aspirations and targets.
In addition to continuing commitments in the current Capital Programme, additional Capital projects agreed included:
- £3 million for new recycling centre
- An additional £1 million to extend Cadder Cemetery, Bishopbriggs
- An additional £1 million per year (baselined) for road and footpath upgrades
- Feasibility studies to replace St Helen’s, Meadowburn, Harestanes and Baljaffray Primaries – all identified as unsuitable for refurbishment.
Councillor Low added, “We are a Council that listens, and have agreed to ensure that the feasibility study we have committed to for a new-build Westerton Primary School at the Westerton Hall and Library site, will also include the option to decant, demolish and rebuild on the current site. These two options will be shared with the school and wider Westerton community through our established processes.”
Councillor Low concluded, “We have agreed a revenue budget that sees no reduction in services as we take a transformative approach to services in the coming years to achieve sustainable savings – and importantly continues to support our communities with our cost-of-living support measures.
“We have also agreed a capital programme that takes a longer-term view of investment to deliver our climate and carbon neutral ambitions and I look forward to working with our communities to bring about a progressive and sustainable change to the way we deliver our Council services.”