The nationalist voice - Iain Robertson, Council Leader

Published 17 Feb 2010 13:00

Like councils all across Scotland, West Dunbartonshire has set its budget for the coming year.

In the face of funding reductions of more than £800m from the Labour Government in London, we have managed to deliver a budget that has had the minimum of impact on services for the year ahead.

With extra funding support from the SNP Government we have managed to freeze Council Tax for a third year as part of our pledge to tackle this unfair tax, which disadvantages many pensioners and low paid families across West Dunbartonshire.

The SNP budget also provides free school meals for children in primaries one to three again this year, delivering across all of our schools, giving our youngsters a good start with a healthy and nutritious meal.

We also continued our commitment to breakfast clubs and the provision of free school milk.

Following the public consultation meetings on the budget it was clear that people recognised the benefits of introducing an additional eight community police officers last year.

By extending this relationship with the police for another year and re-providing another £100,000, we will see an additional four police officers on our streets, bringing the total to 12.

However this funding is only part of a more strategic approach to community safety with our partners.

The complete restructure of our anti-social behaviour teams will see council staff and police working much closer together.

The recent severe Winter weather has caused considerable damage to our pavements and streets.

The SNP administration recognised the need to address this problem and has allocated an additional £150,000 to deal with the extra repairs.

It was also good to hear that the SNP Government announced a further £5m to help repair Winter damage to roads and pavements across Scotland.

The SNP has increased the community chest grants budget by a further £20,000 to its highest level ever.

This will ensure that many of our community groups will get the funding they need to continue their vital roles in the difficult year ahead.

Looking ahead to even more cuts from London, irrespective of who wins the next general election, the council will have to reduce its costs to ensure that the maximum amount goes towards providing frontline services.

By putting its own house in order, through a commitment to cut its waste by 50 per cent over the next three years and a freeze on non-essential spending over the coming months, the council will then be able to focus its resources on areas of greatest need.

Nationally the SNP Government took another step towards scrapping prescription charges by reducing them to £3 for the coming year.

In addition, pre-payment certificates will drop to £10 for three months, benefiting all those with a long-term health problem.

Only the SNP Government is leading the way to scrap this tax on the sick, unlike the Labour Party, which is reluctant to bring about the abolition of this tax on ill health.

Protecting small businesses and jobs during the current recession is a key priority for the SNP Government.

These small businesses are the back bone of West Dunbartonshire's economy and the Government's announcement to extend the Small Business Bonus Scheme will ensure that more of them will benefit from rates relief which will help them survive the recession and protect the many jobs they provide.

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This article appeared in Clydebank Post 17 Feb 10

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