Council budget

At Monday’s Policy and Resources Committee I moved an amendment to an agenda item regarding the council’s financial outlook 2018/19. The situation is dire. Based on current projections £18.9 million will have to be cut from the council’s budget.

Dundee householders have been hit with a double whammy of tax increases in the current financial year due to a revision of the council tax multipliers for properties in Bands E to H  and a general increase in council tax. There is likely to be another double whammy next year with the potential for further increases in council tax and an income tax increase. All this while getting less services due to cuts that will have to be made to set a balanced budget.

I had hoped the committee would support me in urging the Scottish Government not to impose further cuts on local authority budgets. Since its own budget is not being cut next year there is no justification for it to cut the local authority budget either. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has increased the Scottish Block Grant in real terms and therefore, any cuts to council budgets are solely a political choice by the SNP Government. I felt it was important to emphasise this.

The SNP voted the amendment down. Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors no voted.

The amendment was as follows:

Note the report, but in addition also note:

In last year’s Scottish budget the SNP Scottish Government made an explicit political choice to cut local government funding despite an increase in real terms in its own funding.

The 2018/19 block grant will again see a further increase in real terms

Agree that there is no justification for any further fiscal tightening of local government budgets

Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance to express concern about the financial outlook for Dundee City Council and to call for a fair share of Scottish Government funding.

December's community council meeting

I attended the December meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council last night in Broughty Ferry Library. There were no guest speakers on this occasion but a number of things were on the agenda, including planning issues and licensing matters.

 

I gave an update on the partial closure of the Queen Street car park to facilitate the major platform works at the railway station. Occupation of the car park will be from 8 January 2018 up to and including 9 May 2018. Amongst other items I reminded everyone about the pop up charity shop in Gray Street, operated by Ferrytime. It will be there until Saturday of this week.  I also mentioned that the new speed activated illuminated signs on Strathern Road will be a permanent fixture, given the recent accident history at the Fairfield Road location.    Members asked me to investigate traffic issues at a couple of other locations and I will report back on these at the next meeting, which is scheduled for 10th January at 7pm.

The community council is a really good forum for local residents to raise issues. It is a statutory body and plays a part in helping the city council to engage with residents and ascertain local opinion on strategic priorities and policies.  It’s also one of only a handful of community councils still active in Dundee.