SCOTTISH Government figures show that the budget of 14 other local authorities will face less severe cuts than West Dunbartonshire in the current financial year.

Spending projections comparing 2015/16 to 2016/17 show that nine councils plan to spend more than they did last year. West Dunbartonshire will spend approximately £3.4m less, a cut of two per cent.

A further five, 14 in total, will cut their budget less than West Dunbartonshire year-on-year.

Councils with similar population sizes like Moray and Inverclyde will increase spending by roughly £7m and £87,000 respectively. Compared to West Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire will cut spending by £3m less, Stirling by £1.9m less,

Midlothian will cut by £1.4m more and Argyll and Bute by £5.59m more.

It should be noted in all comparisons that each council area faces their own issues that affect spending and all Scottish local authorities have faced severe funding cuts in recent years.

The SNP's leader of the opposition, Jonathan McColl, blamed the extent of the cuts on “Westminster austerity” and council leader Martin Rooney, who he says “failed” West Dunbartonshire by not attending a Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) meeting last year where he says the council lost “£2m of funding because the leader couldn't be bothered to get on a train to Edinburgh.”

He said: “Both Labour and the SNP recognise that while the Tories remain in power, austerity will continue and budgets will decrease.

“How the money available is divided up between Scotland 32 Councils is a matter for COSLA and at the pre-Christmas COSLA Leaders meeting, where the distribution was to be decided, West Dunbartonshire was not represented. 

“The timing clashed with the last council meeting of the year and despite being advised by various people, including myself, that he or his Deputy should be there to represent our interests, Councillor Rooney didn't attend, instead choosing to come to council where he had no options to move and his only substantive contribution was to support me in my strategy for filling a vacant lay member position on the audit committee.

“The next day West Dunbartonshire found itself with a cut in our share of the pot, with our money going to shore up the finances of other councils.

“Yet again the Council Leader failed West Dunbartonshire, and I don’t know how much longer our communities can afford to have Labour in charge.”

When contacted for comment by the Reporter, Cllr Rooney linked to a February 27 blog, around the time that the 2016/17 budget was set.

It says: “The administration is taking decisions to invest across the whole authority to improve infrastructure, improve our communities and to help people with skills, training and jobs.

“The opposition by contrast did absolutely no work in preparing for the council budget. They shirked their responsibilities and for the first time ever in the history of West Dunbartonshire there was no opposition alternative budget.”

Cllr McColl said the SNP did not produce a budget “because it was also the first time in West Dunbartonshire Council’s history that there was no public budget consultation.”

“With no public budget consultation and hence no idea what the public thought of the proposed capital projects, savings options and management adjustments, the SNP decided that we could not in good conscience produce a budget on behalf of the people of West Dunbartonshire when they had been denied the opportunity to express their opinions to Councillors.