Johnstone cash pledge in budget
Published 18 Jan 2012 09:30
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A COMMITMENT to plough extra cash into the new Johnstone Town Hall project was among the highlights of Monday's 2012/2013 council budget meeting.
The local authority had already pledged £4million to the creation of a new "civic hub" on the site of the existing town hall, but as part of its commitment to town centre regeneration, the local authority will put extra funding into the project with details expected in the coming months.
Elsewhere, £5.6million will be invested in resurfacing and re-paving Renfrewshire's crumbling road network - the biggest ever single investment in roads - while an additional £400,000 will be spent on improving parks and play areas.
Around £600,000 will be used to introduce a minimum living wage of £7.20 per hour for over 700 of the lowest paid council workers, and a £2.5million programme to tackle youth unemployment will aim to deliver over 250 new jobs through employment subsidies.
Another 1300 young people securing training and 800 being given the chance to develop their skills and so increase their chance of securing employment.
Community safety was also high on the agenda, with £1.5 million set to be spent on improving access to town centres and CCTV projects in Johnstone and Renfrew.
Council tax will be frozen for a fifth successive year - leaving the Band D charge unchanged at £1164.69 - while charges for council services and use of council facilities will also remain at the same level. An additional £1m will also be invested in computer equipment in education and leisure services.
Around £10million has also been identified for investment in primary schools.
Renfrewshire Council Leader Brian Lawson said: "Our budget will bring £7.8m new spending in our revenue budget and £41m new capital investment in facilities and infrastructure.
"We are squarely addressing the impact of the recession and putting in place practical measures to support families and communities.
"While we have taken action to minimise the impact of the economic situation, our budget shows that our ambitions for Renfrewshire to live, work and invest in are undiminished.
"We are bringing forward a wide range of practical proposals to boost jobs, work closely with business, promote town centre regeneration and improve schools, the environment and roads."
Opposition Labour Leader Iain McMillan said: "We did not oppose the capital budget for two reasons, some of the proposals we agreed with but also post election if we are in charge we will review the whole programme as our priorities are different from the SNP.
"However, we could not support the revenue budget, although some things were welcome like the introduction of a living wage of £7.20 per hour, which we have campaigned for.
"Too much of the budget was endorsing previous decisions like massive hikes in charges for sports facilities."
This article appeared in The Gazette 18 Jan 12
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