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.
- News release - Help save our services (November 2022)
- News release - Save our services from crisis (December 2022)
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.
Our geography, our declining and ageing population, and Argyll and Bute’s funding situation all bring unique challenges for Argyll and Bute’s council services.
In brief:
- We cover the second largest area, and the greatest number of inhabited islands of all Scotland’s councils.
- Our geography needs us to provide services that many other councils do not, such as air and sea transport.
- Our geography also means that many services, from education to waste disposal, cost more to deliver here than in smaller or more condensed council areas.
- At the same time, Argyll and Bute has seen the fourth largest reduction in Scottish Government funding since 2013/14 - our funding per head has reduced by £229 in real terms, compared to a Scottish average of £95. (Source: Local Government Finance: Facts and Figures 2013-14 to 2020-21 | Scottish Parliament)
The Council has made £70m of recurring savings since 2010-11 and every year it becomes even more difficult to identify more. And as mentioned, Argyll and Bute Council has a smaller share of funding than most councils from which to make more savings.
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 services 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.
You can read more about this in this report.
Council tax
Council tax is a small part of council funding but an increasingly important part in helping us save services.
Given the huge range of services we provide, council tax payers get back a lot more than they pay for.
Keeping up-to-date
We will update this page as the budget planning process progresses.
The Council will set its budget on 23rd February 2023. You can watch the Council meeting via the link that will be available on our website.