Council Leader sets out budget challenges

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson has pledged to put local communities at the heart of the Council’s budget plans for the coming financial year.

The Council Leader pledged to ‘put people first’ and ensure that spending is targeted where it will make a difference for communities and businesses across Renfrewshire.

The level of council tax and the council’s total spending on services and capital investment will be set at a meeting of Renfrewshire Council on 1 March.

Councillor Nicolson said:  “I was delighted to be appointed Leader of the Council after the election last year and we have worked hard with councillors from across the parties to make sure we’re delivering the best deal we can for the people who live and work in Renfrewshire.

“It’s been a fantastic time for Renfrewshire and our recent bid for UK City of Culture. Being part of the competition was supported by all political parties and it gave us this fantastic platform to show everyone what we can do. It’s important now we continue that journey, building on the positive perceptions created and making sure that we make the most of the opportunities we have in front of us.

“We want to make Renfrewshire an attractive place to live, work and visit. We will continue to invest in education, jobs and tackling the inequalities that can hold people back from realising their full potential.

“I promised at the time that we would listen to what communities tell us and we have worked to ensure that with finite resources, we make sure we get the best value for every public pound we spend.

“We want to give people back a pride in their place and we’ve invested in improving our local environment through our team up to clean up programme.”

Councillor Nicolson also highlighted that with limited resources, there would have to be new ways of working together to deliver key public services.

“Like other local authorities, we must work within the budgets we are set and we will continue to work with our local communities and partners to ensure that our investment decisions are based on what will make an impact and ensure our communities continue to thrive.”