The Leader of Argyll and Bute Council has thanked members of the public for their help in making budget decisions.
Councillor Aileen Morton said:
“We would love to be able to do everything our communities want us to do, and to have everyone satisfied with the decisions the council makes about its budget.
The harsh reality is that that’s just not possible. In fact COSLA (the Convention for Scottish Local Authorities) has highlighted councils’ budget position as a crisis that is reducing councils’ ability to act on local priorities.
The views local people give to our budget consultation help a great deal in reaching the responsible budget decisions for Argyll and Bute. Thanks very much to everyone who took time to respond.”
The Leader’s comments come in advance of the Policy and Resources Committee meeting this Thursday (20th) to consider findings from the consultation, and an up-to-date budget outlook for the council.
Councillor Morton said:
“We’ve already removed £50million from our budget in recent years and we will need to find savings in excess of £20million in the coming years. So the decisions that we face next week aren’t taken in isolation and we need to consider our overall financial fragility at the same time as setting a balanced budget for this year.
“We will listen to what people have told us, and as far as budget restrictions allow, will make decisions that match their priorities. Thank you again to everyone who has put forward their views.”
Decisions about the budget will be made when full Council meets on Thursday 27 February.