Liberal Democrats hail South Lanarkshire Budget
South Lanarkshire Council is run by a Progressive Partnership Administration between Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Today the Council approved the Administration’s Budget with a new investment pot of £55.5 million supported by a Council tax rise of 6% - one of the lowest increases in Scotland.
In his speech seconding the Budget, South Lanarkshire Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Robert Brown (Rutherglen South ward) said:
“Liberal Democrats as part of the Administration are delivering £24 million of forward-looking investment in council and Leisure Trust properties to reduce their running costs and help the move to net Zero, sustained investment of £12 million to bring the roads network up to steady state, and a variety of investments in the local environment and local communities.
Whilst the Administration are delivering a range of measures of benefit across South Lanarkshire, the public should be clearly aware that the SNP stood out of the Cross Party Group on the Budget and deliberately abandoned what could have been real influence on the terms of the Budget in order to make meaningless and impotent noises off stage.
We are making good on our partnership with the Voluntary Sector by rejecting the proposed cut in support and undertaking a review in full partnership with the sector of the support the Council provides. It is vital that the funding helps to sustain core anchor organisations like the CABs and LEAP whilst providing new opportunities for other organisations. That almost certainly requires a modest increase in voluntary sector funding next year not a “saving”.
Safe roads benefit pedestrians, buses and cyclists as well as vehicles and the extra £12 million investment in our Budget along with other revenue and capital spending will enable us to exceed steady state and make an ongoing impact on our roads over the next 3 years.
Pavements and pedestrian routes are equally important, which is why our Partnership Agreement called for the introduction of a Safe Routes in the Community Programme which the additional transport funding of £2 million will enable us to develop, focusing on core pedestrian routes to shopping centres, health centres and the like.
Rutherglen 900 – The important outdoors investment funding includes £400k towards Rutherglen 900, specifically but not only focused on restoring the historic Overtoun Park bandstand. The 900th anniversary of the Charter of the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen is an important and indeed unique event in the annals of South Lanarkshire and, as Chair of Rutherglen 900, it will be tremendous if we can restore the bandstand as a central, active and much loved feature of our park.
The new UK Government have provided distinctly more and long overdue public sector investment than for some time. However much of it comes from Labour’s hike in Employers’ NI contributions which is a tax on jobs – in the private sector, on public sector jobs and on our voluntary sector and private sector partners. No one wants tax increases but the employers’ NI increase must be a textbook example of how not to do it.
This Budget delivers things for people – a cleaner environment, better and more sustainable buildings and services, improvements in our outdoor facilities, safer roads and pavements and a stronger partnership with the Voluntary Sector.“