Yesterday’s news that the Scottish Government’s budget had passed its first hurdle has been given a cautious welcome by Argyll and Bute Council.
Green Party MSPs at Holyrood agreed to support Finance Secretary Derek Mackay’s budget after saying they had secured another £170m in funding for councils across Scotland.
Highlands and Islands MSP John Finnie said his party’s agreement with the SNP was ‘a monumental deal’ that had produced a fair settlement worth an extra £2.9m for Argyll and Bute.
“This is the latest step in a journey on restoring financial powers at local level, on which we will need to see far more progress before next year’s budget, as the annual fight against council cuts must not continue,” he added.
In November the council launched its latest consultation over likely budget cuts, saying that although its final funding from the Scottish Government had not been confirmed, a worst case scenario would see it having to slash spending by £8.5m this year.
Aileen Morton, the Liberal Democrat who leads the council’s ruling coalition, said when the local government settlement was first announced last month, Argyll and Bute looked set to be one of the lowest funded councils in Scotland.
She added: “Our funding was cut by 4%, compared to the Scottish average of 1.8%.
“We obviously welcome the announcement of additional funding but will have to take time to consider what this announcement means for our budget decisions.
“With budget challenges expected to continue for councils in the years to come, setting a responsible budget in February will be about making decisions that best support our communities and our area in the longer term, as well as now.”
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