Falkirk Council has agreed its spending plans for the coming year with a £370m revenue budget set.
Council Tax levels were agreed at a meeting earlier in the month, with no increase across all bands. The annual charge for a Band D property remains at £1225.58.
Focus
The budget reflects the massive impact COVID-19 has had on local communities over the past year and will continue to have through the next.
Its focus was on the delivery of the Council's Medium Term Financial Plan and corporate priorities:
- Communities: Everyone has an equal chance to be healthier, happier, safer and build sustainable communities.
- Enterprise: Help businesses to thrive and make Falkirk more prosperous.
- Innovation: Innovative and entrepreneurial Council that is forward-thinking and unafraid of change
1% of the budget will be used by communities who will decide where this funding can be best used to improve local areas with a total value of £3m over two years.
Specific areas where spending will take place include:
- Children’s Services (including schools, nurseries, criminal justice and community learning) will receive just over £215.3m
- Development Services (roads, street lighting, economic development, planning, waste and environmental protection) will receive £28.7m
- Corporate and Housing (including support and democratic services, finance and HR services and Council Housing) will receive £33.8m
- Social Work Adults Services (property & fleet transport and mental health services) will receive £3.6m
£70.56m was allocated to the Integration Joint Board (a partnership with NHS Forth Valley) to deliver adult social care and health services across the area and Falkirk Community Trust received £13.76m to provide sport, recreation, arts, heritage and library services.
Capital spend
The Council also approved its capital spending on investment projects.
- £4.31m school extensions at six locations.
- £3.81m on roads maintenance
- £1.3m on a new Falkirk to Denny path
- £800k on improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprint
Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, Leader of Falkirk Council said:
“This has been a very challenging year with COVID-19 affecting every community across the Falkirk area. There were many times when our services were really stretched but working with our communities, we were able to support those who needed us most.
“One of the most important decisions taken by Council (unanimously) was to freeze Council Tax for this coming year. We know that many families and individuals are finding it difficult right now with jobs at risk in many areas but by taking this decision we can help relieve the strain.
“We have also introduced our community choices fund allowing £3m to be spent by local communities over two years giving them decision making powers over what matters most to them.
“The Council must also invest in its physical infrastructure like roads and schools and to this end we are committing £310m over the next five years on extensions to schools, roads improvements and many other works.”
Notes to editors
Specific funding was agreed for:
- Climate Change and Environment – £215k
- Support for developing the 20-minute neighbourhood - £70k
- Funding for a graduate placement to support work on climate change - £30k
- Fund to tackle fly tipping - £50k
- Funding for 2 additional environmental enforcement officers- £65k
- Employability - £120k
- Devices and wifi connectivity and training to support 80 25+ people back to work to complement existing funding for the 18-24 cohort - £60k
- Funding for continuing two graduate placements in procurement to support local employability and opportunities to increase local spend - £60k
- Poverty and Inequalities – £172k
- Support care leaver with £20 per week for 10 weeks in winter to help with heating costs - £12k
- Tackling Digital Exclusion including a dedicated post to support Digital Communities
- Tackling Food Insecurity including support for community pantries, community growing and expanded support in school holidays
- Extending the capacity of multi-skilled advisers in Hubs to allow them to assist the most vulnerable.
It was also agreed there would be capital investment in:
- Changing Places Toilets - £444k over two years
- Denny Eastern Access Road - £149k additional costs to cover compulsory purchase order and any associated inflation costs
- Strategic Property Review - £3m over 3 years to support the development of three community locality Hubs and facilities
- Sports Facilities & Pavilions - £2m over 5 years to upgrade or replace changing facilities
- Waterslap - £57k for remedial works to address flooding
- Snab Brae - £63k for road safety works
- Vehicle replacement Programme - £600k to initiate a vehicle replacement programme that would see the phasing out of diesel vehicles to be replaced by electric and hydrogen operated vehicles. Total - £6.313m