Renfrewshire Council

Colleagues,

Councillors have now agreed the Council's budget for 2025-26 so I wanted to update you on the outcome and highlight a few of the investments agreed for the forthcoming financial year.

Firstly though, I want to thank everyone involved in the budget setting process for their hard work and support. It is not an easy process and colleagues from across the Council have all played their part in enabling it to be agreed at the full Council meeting on Thursday 27 February. 

It remains an extremely challenging time for local government as we face rising costs and inflation, much like households across our area, but I'm glad that we've been able to deliver a balanced budget that allows us to make significant investments for the benefit of our communities without having to use our reserves - a significant milestone for the Council in our recovery from the pandemic. 

Councillors agreed to make the largest-ever investment in Renfrewshire's roads infrastructure, with £90million to be spent across the next ten years, as well as allocating funding to unlock almost £170million for the next phase of the Learning Estate Strategy programme which will reshape, refurbish or rebuild schools across Renfrewshire and provide the best possible learning environment for all pupils. 

There was also agreement for continued investment in our Fairer Renfrewshire programme as we support local people who affected by the rising cost-of-living and a range of community, environmental and place-based investments that will make a tangible difference to people's lives in Renfrewshire. 

Also approved was a five-year investment totalling £292million in Renfrewshire housing, with 2,100 homes benefitting from improvements this year and construction set to start shortly on 135 new spacious, energy-efficient council homes in Gallowhill and Johnstone, with more planned across Renfrewshire in the coming years. 

Councillors also agreed a 9.5% rise in council tax rates to support the investments made and meet rising costs, as well as a 5% for service fees and charges. 

To see the full details of the budget, you can visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/budget. 

Thank you,
Alan 

Published on Friday 28 February 2025