Council tax levels will rise by six percent in Dumfries and Galloway from next month, it has been confirmed.
This will help generate around £4.8m for skint Dumfries and Galloway Council, which was facing a £12.9m budget deficit and a real challenge to maintain public services.
This six percent rise was part of a financial plan for 2023/24 put forward by the Conservatives Group, which was approved at Tuesday’s annual budget meeting.
The price hike means that residents will pay between £4.20 extra per month (band A) in council tax up to £15.40 more for those in band H. The average household (band D) will pay £75 extra for the year, which equates to £6.25 extra per month.
Elected members agreed a council tax increase to help protect services, but the six percent hike still keeps council tax rates in this region below the Scottish national average.
The council faces a raft of cost pressures from pay uplifts to inflationary increases and, when compared against the funding being made available, it has an estimated funding gap of £40m over the next three years.
Reducing energy usage within council buildings and a focus on digital service redesign are other measures that will be implemented to save large amount of money.
The local authority is also investing too, with more than £30m earmarked to improve the condition of the roads and infrastructure across Dumfries and Galloway.
This investment – to run over the next five financial years – will see a major increase in the amount of roads maintenance undertaken each year by Dumfries and Galloway Council.
That means more potholes repaired, more improvements to road drainage, and further repairs to bridges and footpaths.
Dawn Roberts, chief executive of Dumfries and Galloway Council, said: “Council members across all political groups agreed the need for a significant increase in the budget for roads maintenance – in line with feedback from communities throughout the region.
“This investment will mean better quality roads, increased investment in the local economy and more local employment opportunities.
“The five-year investment will see the budget for road repairs increase by around 50 percent. As we plan this major programme of road repairs, we will do everything we can to keep local communities informed.”
Dumfries and Galloway Council is responsible for one of the biggest road networks in Scotland with: 2,611 miles of roads, 823 miles of footways, 1,307 bridges and over 24,000 street lights.
Assistance with the cost of living also features in the agreed spending plans. A wide range of projects from tackling low income through to reducing fuel poverty are outlined in the budget – with the council investing £2m of its budget in cost-of-living support for the year ahead.
Although some allocations remain the same as the 22/23 budget, such as Summer of Play (£264,000), there have been increases in the budget allocated to key projects, with £130,000 now allocated to the Taxi Card Transport Scheme and funding to the third sector rising to £130,000.
