Council tax in Glasgow will increase by 7.5%, funding new cleansing jobs and expanded services.
Ricky Bell stated that locals will pay slightly more. The extra money boosts teachers, parks, and also supports the city’s children. Earlier education cuts were canceled, which would have resulted in teaching job losses.
Still, £25 million in cuts from last year remain, and another £1.05 million in savings also happened. Two hundred twelve new cleansing jobs are ready, and one hundred more parking attendants will be hired to improve parking enforcement across the city. Pool hours are increasing at five Glasgow Clubs.
Bell said they allocated about £2 million, leveraging more borrowing. They plan to invest £38.5 million in total. Twenty million goes to roads and cycleways, while ten million is set for empty properties; they could even buy the Egyptian Halls. Parks will get an investment of £3 million.
One million is allocated for quick repairs and city improvements. The money will fix unsafe concrete at Cardonald Library, known as RAAC. Parking fees at Pollok Park are increasing, and they expect to raise £200,000. Closing Blochairn recycling early saves £600,000, and it will be replaced by a new recycling center.
Planning fees rise in December 2024, which should bring in £100,000. Cutting ground keeping at bowling venues saves £135,000. Council tax is increasing the most in 20 years, with a freeze, subsidized by the government, ending in April. Band D homes pay £1611, before water charges, and water bills are rising almost 10%.
Bell said the SNP and Greens found a “solution” that is in Glasgow’s best interest. He also noted rising employer’s national insurance, which the UK Government did not fully fund, taking £10 million from the budget.
Bell believes the council must fund priorities; therefore Glaswegians need to contribute more. The budget will increase teacher numbers, and free school meals will go to all primary pupils before the council term ends.
Free school meals expand to P6 students in 2025/26, costing £1.8 million. £3 million enables P7 inclusion in 2026/27, helping families just getting by, he noted. Four million was added to a government fund; now an £8 million climate fund exists. They will spend it on solar panels, and green public improvements will happen, benefiting areas near schools and care homes.
An extra £4 million goes to health and social care, which should help staffing because services face a lot of pressure. New “clean teams” get created in all 23 wards, focusing on fly-tipping removal, litter, street sweeping, clearing bins, and needles. Sixty-nine new jobs open up. Eight enforcement officers join the ranks, five pest control workers begin work, forty nightshift street workers will keep things clean, fifty parks staff reinforce the team, and forty will work “deep clean” jobs.
The pool investment is £500,000. Pools gain ten extra hours weekly, improving family swimming access, and Elder Park library will open Sundays. About £500,000 continues school financial inclusion, which helps parents get needed benefits and can be millions of pounds.
There is also a £500,000 action fund for women to address toilet consultation results. Parks, lighting, and streets will improve, and the council spends £225,000 on free transport. Jill Brown said Labour wanted a 5% tax rise. Their ideas would build a stronger, cleaner Glasgow and young people would gain better chances. Brown added that national insurance funding complaints are rich, as the Scottish Government received a large amount of money, an increase of £5.2 billion.
Jon Molyneux, a Greens co-leader, is glad both governments changed after austerity. He said the budget faces very hard times, noting the national insurance hike and that asylum pressures affect homelessness services; these issues exist at the UK level. Molyneux added that trust in local services needs rebuilt. The budget starts that process and has to keep going, he stated.
Here are the council tax amounts per band:
Band A: £1,074.00
Band B: £1,253.00
Band C: £1,432.00
Band D: £1,611.00
Band E: £2,116.68
Band F: £2,617.88
Band G: £3,154.88
Band H: £3,946.95