“We must plan for Argyll and Bute’s long as well as short term future when we set the council’s budget next week.”
These were the words of Council Leader, Councillor Robin Currie, following discussion of the council’s budget at the Policy and Resources Committee.
Estimates show budget gaps for Argyll and Bute’s council services of £2.2 million in 2022/23, and as much as another £30 million+ in the three years after that.
Councillor Currie said:
“The council’s role in people’s day-to-day lives is huge. From roads, schools and bins, to transport or economic regeneration to create local jobs – our budget has to stretch to support these and many other services.
We’ve done a lot of work, with other councils through CoSLA, to secure more funding for council services this year, and while we’ve had some success, choices will still have to be made about how we deliver most value for Argyll and Bute from the budget we have.
It takes time to build the successful future we all want for Argyll and Bute.
Setting a responsible budget must be based on what will best serve Argyll and Bute in both the short and long term.”
The Council meets on Thursday 24 February to set its budget.
Reports setting out the budget challenges facing the council are available on the website (Item 5 of the Policy and Resources Committee agenda).
For information on the council’s budget planning process, listen in to the Chief Executive, Pippa Milne’s podcast.