Families across Renfrewshire will see their council tax bills rise by almost five per cent over the next year as civic leaders launch a multi-million pound spending spree.
The cash bonanza will mean Johnstone kids will benefit from a new Thorn Primary School, with cash also set aside for town centre improvements and much-needed repairs to the area’s cemeteries.
Renfrewshire Council has also pledged to plough £2million into tackling drug and alcohol addiction, as well as setting aside £1m to tackle the climate emergency.
READ MORE: Renfrewshire councillors back plans to raise council tax by nearly five per cent
However, it will mean council tax bills going up by 4.64 per cent – just short of the maximum 4.84 per cent annual rise allowed by the Scottish Government.
Residents in Band D homes will pay £1.12 a week more, or £58.32 extra per year, with their annual bill now set at £1,315.
Those in Band A properties will now have to cough up almost £900 a year, while people living in the most expensive Band H homes will see their bill soar by almost £150 to a new high of £3,223.
Meanwhile, council tenants will be hit with a two per cent average weekly hike in rent charges.
The spending plans were agreed at a council meeting on Monday, with the SNP administration pushing through its £440m budget for 2020/21 with ease.
Members of the Labour opposition put forward an alternative budget that would have seen council tax frozen for the next year but this was rejected.
Among the biggest spending pledges made by the administration is an increase in the council’s School Investment Fund by almost £25m to £52m, which will help to fund a replacement for Thorn Primary, as well as a new Paisley Grammar School, which is set to be based at the current Chivas whisky site in the town’s Renfrew Road.
A £2m boost for Renfrewshire’s Alcohol and Drugs Commission will be focused on prevention, early intervention and the wellbeing of children impacted by addiction.
There will also be a £2.25m investment package for town centres and more money for village groups to strengthen their unique identity.
Almost £14m worth of savings will have to be made by the council to support the budget.
The minority SNP administration needed to secure the support of Independent councillors Andy Doig and Paul Mack, as well as sole Liberal Democrat member Eileen McCartin, to get its budget through.
However, the absence of Conservative councillors Alistair Mackay, Tom Begg and Scott Kerr from Monday’s meeting helped the SNP group and, while Councillor Mack abstained from voting, both Councillor Doig and Councillor McCartin threw their weight behind the administration’s pledges.
Council leader Iain Nicolson said it is a budget which “safeguards services and jobs and delivers a better Renfrewshire for everyone.”
He added: “Our budget for Renfrewshire builds on existing long-term investments and signals new investment addressing the climate emergency, promoting inclusive growth and community empowerment, protecting the most vulnerable in society and investing in education and young people.
“Vital action is needed for Renfrewshire to be carbon neutral by 2030 and we recognise our role in leading, enabling and driving positive change.
“Building on our impactful tackling poverty programmes, we are helping those most in need and, as well as funding to improve the lives of everyone affected by addiction, we’re providing additional social care funding and support for victims of domestic abuse.
“We are investing in our future by almost doubling the school estate fund and empowering our communities by enabling them to take forward the projects and shape the places that matter most to them – and our investment in town centres will bolster business and support inclusive growth as we make Renfrewshire a great place to live, visit, work and invest in.”
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However, Councillor Jim Harte, who presented Labour’s amendment to the SNP budget, described the council tax hike as “criminal” and unnecessary, as there was already a funding surplus of more than £2.3m.
At the meeting, he said: “This administration has learnt how to use austerity as a political tool.
“It is unfair, it is cruel and it is unnecessary. The decision to put up council tax is a political choice and there is no need to do it.”
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