East Dunbartonshire Council sets budget

East Dunbartonshire Council has set its budget without cuts to frontline services or jobs, although opposition councillors have raised concerns about daycare service charges.

Councillors voted through a council tax increase of just under four per cent, but hailed an increase in the capital budget which will sustain several projects and developments.

They also spoke about the continuing decline in local government funding, with council leaders Andrew Polson and Vaughan Moody each pointing out that the trend is significantly worse than the decline in money being given to Scotland by Westminster.

During the meeting Councillor Polson also welcomed the £35 million City Deal investment in Bishopbriggs which was announced earlier this month. Cllr Moody said this would make all the difference of “night and day” in years to come.

The funding will deliver Phase 5 of the Bishopbriggs Relief Road, investment in public and sustainable transport on the A804 Route Corridor and regeneration of Bishopbriggs Town Centre.

A residual budget gap of £1.8 million is to be bridged via financial efficiency through the council’s ongoing Transformation Programme. Although the council received more funding overall from the Scottish Government, the need to support several national programmes resulted in this shortfall.

Council tenants will have to pay an extra 2.9 per cent in rent, with the same increase being applied to lockups. Further, lockups requiring refurbishment will have an additional two per cent increase to cover the cost of this work.

The council has plans to borrow more than £10 million to support its capital programmes if required.

These include its five-year housebuilding programme, the redevelopment of the former Tom Johnston House which is costed at £11.6m including almost £3.5m from the Scottish Government, and the purchase of 26 homes from the Cala Homes development at Blacklands Place in Lenzie along with up to 45 homes to be sold by the council under its Shared Equity Scheme and the purchase of a house in Bishopbriggs from its current owner.

Plans continue to progress with regard to school estate, such as the £26m additional support needs school at Waterside, for which a planning application is due to be made in May.

Killermont Primary School is being expanded with three extra classrooms and this is due to be completed by April.

A replacement for Boclair Academy is currently budgeted at £30 million, although this is expected to increase. This is due for completion in July 2022.

The council is also working on a programme to upgrade school sports fields with Phase 2 of this targeting Balmuildy Primary School and Meadowburn Primary School, due for completion in the Spring .

Upgrades at Torrance and Hillhead Primary Schools are also due to be completed this year.

A new rugby pitch at Lenzie Academy is currently subject to planning permission.

With councils across Scotland due to deliver the Scottish Government’s 1140 hours early years programme, new nurseries are to be built in Kirkintilloch, Milngavie and Bearsden, in addition to several others being refurbished.

The council’s SNP group tabled an alternative budget which was largely similar to that put forward by the administration, proposing a marginally larger council tax increase to raise around £50,000 in order to cancel plans for increased day care charges.

Despite support from Labour and independent councillors, this was outvoted.

{{new}}