This week, councillors will go to the chamber to vote on the Moray Council budget for 2023 to 2024.
The local authority’s chief financial officer Lorraine Paisey has warned the future for Scottish local authorities is looking “bleak” unless more money is forthcoming from central government.
At the meeting, members will hear the Conservative administration’s budget proposals to tackle the £21.6 million shortfall including a 5% increase on council tax.
The tax increase is expected to generate just under £49.6 million.
They also want to use £14.77 million in Covid reserves to balance the books.
Meanwhile, increasing temporary accommodation charges by 27% is also proposed.
Around £28m needs to be found over the next two financial years.
Budgets always drum up debate.
Read about the other parties budget proposals below:
What are SNP’s proposals ?
The Moray SNP group wants to drive forward proposals to tackle fuel poverty and climate change.
These include:
- £25,000 grant to Moray Women’s Aid to support staffing levels to cope with a large increase in demand and need for overnight support.
- £100,000 fuel poverty grant to mitigate current cost-of-living pressures for households. Any difference will be funded by the council’s Covid reserves.
- Increase community wardens due to increasing neighbour disputes and anti-social behaviour.
- They want the role of the Local Heat And Energy Efficiency Strategy officer reinstated to ensure capacity is retained within the Climate Change Team to deliver the agreed action plan.
Greens wants food growing strategy in budget
Green councillor Draeyk Van Der Horn wants a food growing strategy to be included in the budget.
His proposals:
- Allocate £500,000 from the Covid reserves to help deliver the food growing strategy and biodiversity projects.
- Use £50,000 from transformation reserves to commission a team from an external organisation to work with staff across the council to strengthen and improve the council’s working environment.
- Repurpose savings from the Local Heat And Energy Efficiency Strategy post to fund an officer responsible for food and nature sustainability.
Labour’s proposals
Moray Labour has put forward some proposals which include cash to tackle minor concerns in wards.
Here are their proposals:
- A donation of £5,000 to assist local efforts for the relief of suffering in
Turkey and Syria. - A further donation of £20,000 to Moray Food Plus.
- Increase budget for road safety matters by £50,000.
- Reinstatement of the Employee Assistance Programme funding.
- Establishment of an Education Investment Fund for schools of £500,000 to
address pressures in schools arising from the impact of Covid. - £15,000 for each ward to be spent by elected members for their ward in consultation with each other to address minor works and concerns.
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