Focusing our attention on budget

BY RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL LABOUR GROUP LEADER IAIN MCMILLAN

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Finance minister Shona Robison

It’s been another busy week in the world of Renfrewshire politics with many of us focusing our attention on the budget announcement in Holyrood by the Scottish Government finance minister Shona Robison.

Local councils and integrated joint boards are trying to find out what it all means for their budgets going forward to the new financial year of 2026/27.

The local government organisation COSLA has calculated that Scotland's councils will have to put up their council tax rates up by eight per cent to maintain their real-term funds.

They also said the budget does not give sufficient funds to meet rising demands for local services.

So, in short, Renfrewshire Council has been let down again by the SNP-led Scottish Government.

At a time when local people depend more and more on local services, the council will be faced with difficult choices at next month's council budget.

Some extra money has been made available for affordable housing but I’m not sure if that will be enough to fight off the emergency situation that housing services find themselves in throughout the country.

I welcome the extra money for swimming lessons - that is a good thing.