Renfrewshire Council Leader Mark Macmillan has described the ‘impossible position’ the local authority faced over funding for services this year.
Councillor Macmillan wrote to the Depute First Minister John Swinney ahead of a 9 February deadline for local authority leaders to indicate if they accepted the settlement.
Renfrewshire Council is still to set a date for its meeting when elected members will agree a budget for 2016-2017.
Councillor Mark Macmillan said: “This is the single biggest cut imposed on local government yet and we did our democratic duty to question this on behalf of their citizens – only to be forced into an impossible position where not accepting the settlement would deny access to millions of pounds of funding.
“We have consistently pointed out that Renfrewshire receives one of the lowest settlements and, once again, we are not receiving our fair share. The choice has been taken to apply the maximum grant reduction possible to an individual council in Renfrewshire’s case.”
“There should be no illusions about the difficulties councils face. An independent report just published pointed out that we face a 17% gap over the next five years between the cost of meeting demand for council services and the funding available. This will have a damaging impact on Renfrewshire communities, particularly our youngest and oldest who need council services the most.
“We are clear on what our priorities for Renfrewshire are and will continue striving to deliver on them. The Invest in Renfrewshire programme has halved youth unemployment in the past three years; we’re delivering hundreds of new, affordable homes across Renfrewshire; Families First is ensuring our youngest children get the best start possible; and our Tackling Poverty Fund is supporting a range of initiatives specifically-designed to lift families out of hardship and build resilience for the future.
“But without the necessary long-term funding from the Scottish Government for initiatives such as these, and to maintain the vital frontline services people rely on, it becomes increasingly difficult.”