West Dunbartonshire Council has agreed a bold and ambitious budget for 2012/13 that will create up to 500 new jobs, invest nearly £5 million into improving roads and flood prevention, and provide £720,000 to enhance services for young people as well as local health and social care.
Council tax will be frozen for the fifth successive year leaving the Band D charge unchanged at £1,163.
West Dunbartonshire’s £239.4 million revenue budget for 2012-2013 features:
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£2.83 million spent on a job creation scheme to create 250 jobs amongst local small businesses and the voluntary sector, and a further 250 created as part of the Council’s Modern Apprentice programme
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£360,000 invested in helping to redesign a more modern local health and social care service that is fit for purpose
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£360,000 spent reviewing and improving how the Council delivers services for children and young people in West Dunbartonshire
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£50,000 directed to support the Shopmobility Scheme at Clydebank Shopping Centre
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A one-off enhancement of £300,000 to improve the road network has been added to the existing budget of £3.3 million for this work
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Approximately £1.3 million earmarked for major flood prevention schemes
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An additional £50,000 added to the £118,560 already spent on Community Chest grants that help local communities to take on more responsibility
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To capitalise on the opportunities presented by the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow an extra £100,000 will be set aside for the next two years to support existing and new events that increase tourism to the area
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£80,000 will be devoted to helping the Council improve education results as part of the Learn, Achieve, Succeed campaign
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£12,000 provided to Strathclyde Police to help them purchase equipment needed to prevent the growing problem of trailbiking
Councillor Craig McLaughlin, Convener of Finance, said: “I’m delighted the Council has approved this ambitious budget which I believe directly tackles the issues facing West Dunbartonshire.
“It is a sustainable budget that protects the Council’s strong financial position whilst also setting out a blueprint for local economic growth that will benefit residents and businesses.
“For once it is time for the public sector to bail out the people and not the institutions. We’ve all seen in the past what happens when no one intervenes to help young people and communities being hit hard by recession. We aren’t prepared to stand by and watch as another generation of local people suffer unemployment and financial hardship and this budget will help stop that happening.
“Our radical employability scheme will help around 500 people obtain jobs, training or skills and we will also be working hard to encourage and support local businesses and voluntary organisations to make these roles permanent rather than one-year opportunities.”
Leader of the Council, Councillor Ronnie McColl, said: “Most Scottish councils are having to cut vital services to plug big budget gaps of millions of pounds, but we saw the economic challenges coming and planned accordingly so that the Council was put on a sound financial footing. That means we are now in the almost unique position of being able to actually spend an extra £4.2 million in the coming year to improve the lives of local people by creating jobs, help our schoolchildren to succeed, upgrade our road network and protect our communities from flooding.
“This budget is the clearest possible demonstration of West Dunbartonshire Council’s dramatic improvements in recent years. Far from being a failing Council attracting regular criticism from Audit Scotland, we now enjoy the security of having the highest levels of cash reserves in the Council’s history and are able to invest millions of pounds changing people’s lives.”
