These were the words of Councillor Robin Currie, Leader of Argyll and Bute Council as the council prepares to set its budget next week.
The council’s funding gap is more than £13 million in 2023/24 alone. This is in addition to the £70m of recurring savings the council has had to make since 2010.
The council’s financial position was on the agenda when the Policy and Resources Committee met today. Councillor Currie said:
“The council will continue to provide countless services that support day to day life across Argyll and Bute. Multi-million pound funding cuts over many years however stop us doing everything we’d like to do for our communities. We have to focus on saving the services we have a duty to deliver.”
The Committee considered a report setting out the demands on the council’s budget and additional options for fully bridging the funding gap, including stopping some services.
Councillor Gary Mulvaney, Policy Lead for Finance Services said:
“We have done everything we can to save services – we have developed around £9 million of savings options that avoid impact on services for the public. With no end in sight however to cuts to council budgets, change, to what the council can do, is unavoidable.”
The council will set its budget when it meets on Thursday 23 February.