Glasgow City Council passes 2019/20 budget

The SNP minority administration at Glasgow City Council has passed its budget for the next year.

39 councillors backed the plan for 2019/20, which will see Council Tax rise by 3% - which is below the 4.79% cap set by the Scottish Government.

The council says £20 million will be invested in developing new community hubs - with another £26 million being spent on neighbourhood infrastructure.

Council leader Susan Aitken said: “I am delighted that a budget which maintains the importance of Glasgow’s communities, protects frontline services and cherished facilities and continues to invest in this city’s priorities has been passed by Council.

“It is a budget which builds on both the commitments my administration was elected on and the foundations the City Government has laid in social justice and inclusive economic growth.

“It addresses the need for sustainability and carbon reduction; invests almost £50million on community facilities and the fabric of our neighbourhoods; acknowledges the invaluable role of our staff and the need to promote fair work and quality jobs and skills, and it supports the needs of our youngest and oldest citizens.

“Of course, after a decade of austerity we face considerable challenges but I am delighted that we have presented a balanced budget underpinned by fairness. We have ensured that, despite the continued attacks on our poor and vulnerable, we have again done all in our power to protect Glaswegians from the worst ravages of austerity.

“It is also a historic budget because the process of finally ending pay discrimination in this city underway. Justice comes with a price, it presents us with challenges and it accounts for over half this year’s budget gap.

“But these women are entitled to every single penny and this budget begins the process of putting half a billion pounds into the hands of working women - the single biggest act of redistribution that any government has carried out in this city in decades.”

Heading into today’s budget meeting, the city’s spending gap was just under £41 million, largely due to the effects of inflation – and the requirement to set aside cash to meet the initial costs of settling equal pay claims.

City Treasurer Cllr Allan Gow said: “This budget meets the immediate challenges facing the city by balancing our finances, while protecting local services and making long-overdue provision to meet our obligations on equal pay.

“However, our investments in communities and neighbourhood infrastructure are also about fundamentally changing the way we manage our resources in the years and decades ahead.

“For too long, the way we have done things has left the city stretching itself to maintain facilities that are already out-of-date and unfit for purpose. We are determined to build 21st Century services for a 21st Century city.”

Changes to kerbside bin collections – where crews currently service many bins that are less than half full - will see some homes switch to a three-weekly cycle.

A new environmental ticket levy will establish a £2.50-per-head fee for major events like festivals and concerts held in the city’s parks.

The last of the city’s red blaes pitches will be eradicated from schools, with a £2.5 million investment in modern Multi-use Games Areas.

Members also signed off on a programme of capital spending; with a total of £94 million available for the first of a new generation of community facilities.