Council tax has been frozen and flower beds spared in Argyll and Bute Council’s budget plans for the next financial year.
Proposals to reduce grass cutting in public spaces were also dropped from the authority’s spending proposals, which include a fund of more than £6.7m to support tourism and initiatives for young people.
But schools’ entitlement for clerical support will be reviewed and reduced, despite an attempt by opposition councillors to see the proposal rejected.
The council tax freeze will keep the bill for a Band D property at £1,367.73.
Additional funding announced by the council’s ruling coalition of Liberal Democrat, Conservative and independent councillors – known as the ‘Argyll, Lomond and the Islands’ (ALI) group – includes £830,000 for tourism opportunities in the area, including staycation facilities and marketing.
More than £3.1m will be spent on improving connectivity in the area, including roadworks and development of ‘active travel’, with £1.7m going towards a ‘recovery and renewal fund’, climate change measures and the area’s Rural Growth Deal.
A total of £600,000 will go towards the wellbeing of young people, while free off-street festive parking will return in the 2021 festive season as a result of £20,000 of funding.
Gaelic, welfare rights and initiatives to tackle digital exclusion also figure in the extra funding.
The budget was agreed by the council at a virtual meeting today.
Nineteen councillors sided with the ruling administration’s spending plans, while 13 voted for the amended proposal put forward by the SNP opposition group.
The Argyll and Bute First group, consisting of three independent councillors, did not submit a budget proposal of their own.
Council leader Robin Currie said: “When this council set its budget last year, we thought we knew a little about what lay ahead on the horizon.
“Just a few weeks later we realised the tremendous scale of the challenge we were right in the middle of, and had to respond very quickly.
“We have made so much progress since then, with so many changes to deliver and challenges to overcome. This year’s budget is a budget like no other.
“Argyll and Bute is historically the cradle of the nation – that is the meaning of the name Argyll. I believe that still rings true today and well into the future.
“That is why we set out these investments for those who live here today and who we will welcome in the future. We can help deliver the future that Argyll and Bute deserves.”
SNP group leader Sandy Taylor said of his group’s proposal: “This has been a very difficult year for all of us and we have looked at ways we can revitalise the damage done to Argyll and Bute.
“We had to stop almost everything we did and had little time to take stock of what we could do and monitor on a daily basis.
“We had to await guidance and advice from others but the council rose to the challenge – our workforce, members and people of Argyll and Bute.
“This is a balanced and competent budget which allows us to develop resilience in our communities post-Covid, and to support families and young people.”
The SNP amendment was backed by independent councillors Jean Moffat and Douglas Philand, who are not part of the ruling administration.
Councillor Philand’s two Argyll and Bute First colleagues, George Freeman and Donald Kelly, were not in attendance for the vote.
The ruling coalition’s plans were backed, as expected, by all 18 members of the ALI group, as well as by independent councillor Jim Anderson.
You want to encourage tourism? Fix Helensburgh pier and get the Waverly in. This is one of the biggest tourist attractions we have in Argyll and Bute and you have an allocation of £6.7m. The last estimate for repairs that I remember was around £800,000. This would not be a speculative investment we know the benefits it would return. It’s a no brainer so what are we hesitating?