North Lanarkshire Council has agreed a budget for the 2007/08 financial year that will deliver major benefits for all local residents through a multi-million pound growth package alongside the lowest council tax level in the west of Scotland.

 

The council agreed to limit its council tax increase to only 1.95% for the next financial year, meaning the Band D council tax level will rise by £21 per year to a total charge of £1,098. 66% of households are within council tax bands where the increase is less than 5 pence per day.

 

Council tax levels were agreed at today's special meeting of the council, which also set a £693.7 million revenue budget for the next financial year and a growth package of almost £85 million to invest in frontline services. This has been achieved through the council's sound financial management, which has resulted in efficiency savings targets being exceeded by 18 per cent.

 

Major areas for growth investment include a massive £50 million to improve schools and community facilities in 2008/09 under phase three of our Education 2010 programme, which is already making a huge difference to communities across North Lanarkshire. And more than £3.1 million will be invested in the maintenance of roads, streetlighting and footpaths throughout the area, which enhances the local environment as well as community safety, along with £18 million to support major capital improvement programmes, including town centres, the roads infrastructure and council facilities.

 

“This budget is about making the best possible use of the resources we have available to deliver the best possible services for the people of North Lanarkshire", said Councillor Jim McCabe, Leader of North Lanarkshire Council. "It is truly about putting service and people first and I am delighted that we have been able to restrict this year's council tax increase to only 1.95%. Not only is this well below inflation – it means that North Lanarkshire residents will benefit from the lowest level of council tax across the west of Scotland.

 

“At the same time as driving down council tax levels, we are also investing in the local services that improve the quality of life of all our residents. We have listened to the wishes of local people through our residents’ survey and prioritised investment in the services that are important to them and – young or old – there is something for everyone in this budget.

 

"For children and younger people its about giving them the best possible start in life with quality education and recreation services. In line with our own commitment to promoting health, well-being and care which supports the Scottish Executive’s drive to improve the health of our population from the earliest days, we will be investing £100,000 in new play park equipment and £170,000 to extend the school holidays free swims scheme to dryside sports facilities in our sport and leisure centres. In addition, we are putting £100,000 into buying new books and materials for our libraries, which complements the £200,000 provided by Children’s Services Funding. We are also making our own major investment of £50 million to build on the tremendous success of our Education 2010 programme by improving and rebuilding our schools. This will not only benefit our young people, but will be a huge boost to all our residents as the new and improved schools will also provide fantastic community facilities and resources available to everyone.

 

“We are very proud of the progress made under phase one of the £150 million Education 2010 programme which has delivered 11 new schools so far. This, along with the £54 million investment already earmarked for phase 2 of the programme and the £50 million now allocated from this budget, brings our total planned investment to a staggering £0.25 billion.

 

"Across Scotland councils are supporting an increasingly ageing population, and we want to offer our senior citizens the support and care that they may need to ensure a good quality of life. So, we’re boosting our annual Christmas gift scheme by £5 per person to £15 at a cost of £250,000 ensuring an extra helping hand at one of the most expensive times of the year, and we’re investing a further £150,000 to allow more residents to benefit from our valuable free garden assistance scheme across all areas of the council.

 

“Most older people want to continue living in their own homes as long as possible and through a wide range of services we are helping them do that. An important part of this is the equipment and adaptations service that provides specialist assistance to help older people with daily tasks around the home. We are putting an extra £1.7 million into this service to give more people the practical help they need to make their lives easier.

 

"There will also be benefits for every resident through a host of environmental improvements in towns and villages throughout North Lanarkshire. £1 million will be directed to help improve local neighbourhoods, £200,000 will go to promoting community safety by developing our CCTV facilities, £700,000 to make our open spaces more attractive, enjoyable and support our successful Streetsmart initiative, £314,000 to increase the frequency of grass cuts from 18 to 21 during the growing season, and £32,000 to help keep our parks and open spaces clean through additional dog fouling bins and waste collections. Together, these will enhance the appearance of the local environment and create a North Lanarkshire that we can all be proud to live in.

 

“I am proud of the achievements of this council to date and I am confident that this new budget demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement across all our services and will put us in the position to meet the challenges ahead. It will make a real difference to the lives of our residents both now and in the future.”

 

Councillor John Pentland, Convener of the Policy and Resources (Finance) Sub-Committee, added:

 

“North Lanarkshire Council has a strong track record of keeping council tax increases to the lowest possible level – our cumulative increase since 1996 is the third lowest in Scotland – to protect our taxpayers, particularly those on fixed incomes and senior citizens. Our budget for 2007/08 continues that commitment.

 

“We have set ourselves challenging targets for efficiency savings. Since 1996, we have delivered more than £131 million in savings which have been used to invest in vital services and ease the burden of council tax increases. Last year we set our most demanding efficiency target ever – £10 million – and I am pleased to report that we have exceeded this by £1.8 million. This has allowed us to bring forward additional investment in council services for 2007/08 and gives an excellent start towards our efficiency target of £50 million in the next five years as part of our Service and People First programme.

 

“All of this is allowing us to invest an additional £85 million direct into the services that matter to local people. Our residents’ survey tells us that people want us to prioritise services to help children, families and older people including education and care services, as well as services that improve their local environment such as street cleaning and refuse collection, council house repairs and measures to tackle antisocial behaviour. In our new budget we are, therefore, investing in improving and developing services that tackle these issues and make North Lanarkshire a better place to live and work.

 

"And it's not always about big budget headlines – sometimes it’s the smaller things that make all the difference such as more dog fouling bins, which vastly improves our parks and open spaces, or enhancing the funding we provide to voluntary sector organisations, to ensure they can help and assist more of our residents than ever before.

 

"Ultimately, it's about providing value for money and delivering services that our residents want and deserve and this budget does just that, putting service and people first."

 

Ends