Budget planning 2023

Save our Services

Budget set - 23rd February 2023 - Read the budget decisions here

Thank you to everyone who helped us try to save council services, by campaigning for council funding. Taking funding away from councils is taking council services away from communities, so thank you for getting involved.

Unfortunately, our estimated budget gap remains severe –more than £13 million in 2023-24 alone, and more than £54.5 million in 2023-2028.

Scotland's Accounts Commission highlights that councils will need to make increasingly difficult choices in the most difficult budget setting context seen for many years.

Council services

Council services support your day-to-day life, in countless ways. Our services may not always be noticed but they are there.

We deliver the services we must provide as a council. We also deliver many additional services.

Unique challenges

Argyll and Bute faces unique challenges for its council services. For example our geography means we deliver some services other councils do not and services can cost more to deliver. Argyll and Bute has also had higher than average cuts to its council funding. You can read more here

Budget planning process

The council must set its budget in February. Planning how to balance the budget has been particularly difficult this year.

Multi-million pound funding cuts over many years mean we must focus on saving the services we have a duty to deliver.

The budget gap was still increasing as recently as December – national changes to non domestic rates for example increased the gap by more than another £1 million. Inflation increases the cost of running many services.

Saving services

We have focused first on doing what we can to soften the blow and save council servies as much as possible. We have developed £9 million of savings options that avoid impact on services for the public. This helps us save some services you have told us previously are important to you.

There are some services that we have saved from cuts for as long as possible, but do not have a duty to provide. Our budget gap undermines their future.