North Lanarkshire Council Leader, Councillor Jim McCabe, is assuring residents that the new council budget for 2007/08 will keep council tax levels to a minimum as well as putting more money into local services.

 

The council will agree its revenue budget for the year ahead at a special meeting on Thursday 8 February.

 

"The budget that we are proposing will be the most positive ever produced by this council," Councillor McCabe said this week.

 

"The proposed budget reflects the increased settlement that the council has received this year from the Scottish Executive. In this, I am pleased that the Finance Minister has responded to the requests from CoSLA to improve funding to local authorities. Our own sound financial management and continued efficiency savings have also helped us be in the position to deliver such a strong budget.

 

"We will drive down council tax levels and, at the same time, continue to make improvements to all the services we deliver. In line with our resolution to putting service and people first, I can promise residents that we will keep the increase to the absolute minimum but there will be no reduction in the level and quality of the services that we provide. In fact we will be investing more money in local services that meet the needs of everyone – from education for children and young people, to training and employment opportunities for adults and to care services for vulnerable people in our communities. As we have done each year, the new budget will address the issues that local people have told us are important to them and their communities through our regular residents' survey.

 

"Every year we work hard to be more efficient in the way that the council operates and to improve the quality of services that we deliver. Since 1996 we have delivered just over £131 million in savings and we have taken care to manage our resources effectively and in line with the principles of best value. This has allowed us to keep our council tax levels at the lowest possible. Over the last ten years North Lanarkshire has one of the lowest levels of council tax increases, the sixth lowest in the whole of mainland Scotland – and that is a record that we're proud of.

 

"We are pleased that, this year, the Scottish Executive has listened to local authorities who have been consistently stating that the funding we receive from the government falls far short of what we need to deliver the local services that our residents need and deserve. The increased financial settlement that we have received from the Scottish Executive for 2007/08 goes some way to help alleviate the pressure we are under. It will help us deliver the wide range of services we are responsible as well as implementing many of the Scottish Executive's policies such as free personal care and free transport for older people."

 

The council has already agreed a revenue budget for its housing services next year of more than £99 million, which will see the lowest rent level increase for the second year running – at 3.5%. This means an average rent increase of £1.60 per week. This maintains rents in North Lanarkshire at around 2% below the national average.

 

Ends