Renfrewshire Council has agreed its budget for 2026/27, setting out how £622.794 million will be spent over the year ahead. The spending plan includes a 7.5% rise in council tax and a 7.5% increase in council house rents, alongside investment in housing, schools, sport, health and social care, community projects and local events.
Below is a breakdown of the key figures and where the money will go:-
| Area | Allocation | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Total Budget 2026/27 | £622.794m | Overall council budget |
| Council tax | +7.5% | Increase for 2026/27 |
| Council housing rent | +7.5% | Second year of 3-year rent strategy approved in 2025 |
| Fairer Renfrewshire programme | £1.3m | Winter clothing payment, Winter Connections, CAB support for welfare rights and schools advice |
| Discretionary housing payments | £200k | Top-up funding |
| Scottish Welfare Fund | £600k | Top-up funding |
| Skoobmobile replacement | £300k | Replacement vehicle and fit-out |
| DigiKnowVember and DigiZones | £20k | Expanded digital inclusion campaign and local support zones |
| Health and Social Care Partnership | £6.137m | Adult social care support including social work and Care at Home services (includes £370k recurring for pay award) |
| School pitch upgrades | £1.4m | All-weather pitch upgrades at Linwood and St Benedict’s High Schools |
| Play parks investment | £2.1m | Investment over 3 years to complete refurbishment or replacement of every council play park |
| OneRen sports and leisure venues | £2m | Upgrades to sport and leisure facilities managed by OneRen |
| Sports pavilions | £200k | Improvements to encourage increased usage and potential community ownership |
| Renfrewshire memorials | £100k | Condition surveys, cleaning and improvements |
| Community Environment Team expansion | £200k | Additional squad to help keep communities clean |
| Community improvement fund | £150k | Targets environmental issues around tenements, flats and estates (Gallowhill identified as priority) |
| Resident associations play park fund | £100k | Funding for resident associations to improve play parks they maintain |
| Community and “Friends of” groups | £30k | Support for volunteers maintaining and improving local areas |
| Tree replacement programme | £25k (recurring) | Increase tree replacement activity each year |
| Blythswood land investigation (Renfrew) | £30k | Initial work to investigate land purchase to protect open green space |
| Diesel fleet HVO fuel provision | Budget provision | Enables use of HVO fuel across diesel fleet to reduce emissions |
| Events programme extension | £350k | Extends current programme of events to 2028/29 |
| Johnstone Criterium cycling event | £100k | Support for delivery of the event |
| Visitor marketing and events support | £480k | Two-year visitor marketing campaign and enhanced events support |
| Dark Sky Park exploration (Muirshiel) | £80k | Feasibility work with Glasgow Science Centre |
| Castle Semple visitor centre survey | £30k | Full condition survey to develop improvement options |
| Exchange Theatre Phase 2 | £120k | Match funding to help enable completion of Phase 2 |
| Five-year council housing investment | £337m | £51m government grant for new builds + £286m net capital programme |
| YouDecide Tenant Fund (Year 2) | £250k | Tenant-led local improvements (Year 2 of £600k fund) |
| Housing repairs and maintenance boost | £1.3m | Enhances responsive repairs and maintenance service |
| Housing improvements delivered | 2,210 homes | Improvements through investment works, new builds and regeneration |
| Unallocated reserves | £10m | Commitment to maintain reserve level |
| Service charges | +5% (most) | Inflationary rise, except non-residential adult social care and parking (both frozen) |