SNP councillors hail 'positive' Highland Council budget proposals after 'unprecedented' collaboration
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Two SNP Highland councillors have hailed the cross-party cooperation on a "positive" budget which is about to thrashed out today at council headquarters in Inverness.
Councillor Ian Cockburn said the "unprecedented" collaboration between the SNP group and independent-led administration had resulted in a strong budget.
Councillor Cockburn was also quick to point to the Scottish Government budget settlement which he said offsets the council's Covid resilience spending.
He said: "The council tax freeze is fully funded by the Scottish Government, providing a £4.3m boost to the Highland economy.
"The council is projected to end the year with a surplus of over £3m and our general reserve is up by over £9 million pounds.This is a budget for recovery and jobs, averting feared redundancies at the council, one of the Highlands' biggest employers."
He said £6m economic prosperity fund delivers targeted support for business recovery to provide opportunities for school leavers, graduates and people facing unemployment for the first time.
The reprofiled capital plan, as presented to council in January, would see capital investment of £260m across the region over the next two years.
Councillor Cockburn went on: "It is a budget for our young people, with core staffing levels in schools secured, no reduction in Additional Support for Learning provision, and devolved school management budgets are protected – meaning no reduction in the money directly available to head teachers to spend in their school.
"The £1.5m visitor management strategy, will provide much-needed tourist facilities and infrastructure making the Highlands a welcoming and attractive place for people to visit when the Covid restrictions ease and people from all over the UK come here for staycations.
"This is a budget for localism with £100k being made available to every ward to spend locally on schemes to boost and help our communities.
"We have all had to work together to ensure we provide an effective programme of recovery that can boost and regenerate our economy in the wake of Covid, Brexit and climate change."
Councillor Muriel Cockburn, SNP Spokesperson for Health, Social Care and Wellbeing in Highland Council, has also welcomed the budget proposals.
She told the Strathy: “I believe this budget gives us the opportunity to put health and wellbeing at the centre of our ambition for the people of the Highlands.
"We are very eager to reduce the need for out of home care by providing appropriately resourced support to struggling families.
"Our focus is to get the right delivery mix for children through our education system, care at home services and mental health provision with early intervention and support being key.
"I am grateful to the time officers have given and the work they have undertaken to allow us to formulate this ambitious strategy which includes proactive delivery and universal access to mental health and counselling services.”
The budget accounts for pay increases for the council work force equivalent to a three per cent rise for the lowest paid workforce (£25,000 or under) and one per cent for those earning over £25,000 to a maximum of £80,000.
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