Council Tax is set to rise by three per cent

South Lanarkshire Council has passed a “consensus” budget after cross-party talks led to £3 million of proposed cuts and savings being dropped, according to the opposition Labour group.
By Ron Harris
Published 6th Mar 2020, 13:10 BST
South Lanarkshire Council claim that a better budget could have been fixed if the grant settlement had been fairer.South Lanarkshire Council claim that a better budget could have been fixed if the grant settlement had been fairer.
South Lanarkshire Council claim that a better budget could have been fixed if the grant settlement had been fairer.

A party spokesman said: “The Council’s budget limits the Council Tax rise in South Lanarkshire Council to three per cent and takes planned cuts to grounds services, roads budgets and education, among other areas, off the table.”

Councillor Joe Fagan, Leader of South Lanarkshire Labour, who formally seconded the budget, said: “For as long as local government is under-valued and the public sector is under-funded, councils will have to make difficult decisions and those decisions are not getting any easier.

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“Nonetheless, councillors have a duty to all those who depend on us to set as fair and as reasonable a budget as possible.

“In seeking consensus on the way forward, Labour have sought to protect frontline services above all else and I am pleased that £3 million of planned cuts and savings will now be dropped.

“This budget is one the political groups in the council can agree on in the spirit of compromise and consensus.

“Be in no doubt, though, that there’s a better budget the council could have passed if local government received a full and fair grant settlement.

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“That better budget is what Labour will keep fighting for so that we can do more than just protect priority frontline services - we can actually start investing properly in them once again.”

The council has confirmed there will be no compulsory redundancies required in staffing levels. The budget agreed is a provisional one, awaiting the outcome of the delayed UK budget.

Related topics:Council Tax

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