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New housing developments, plans for nurseries and road improvements could be under “significant risk” of delays as Renfrewshire Council tackles a £27million coronavirus crisis bill.

Elected members have been told they face tearing up large parts of the council's budget to reconsider the scale and timing of a three-year capital investment plan that was originally set to cost £368m.

Council bosses insist plans for a revamped town hall and museum for Paisley will not take a financial hit but there could be delays due to construction work being halted during the pandemic.

The local authority revealed the level of funding it has so far received from the Scottish Government falls well short of the mounting crisis costs it is set to endure.

A report presented to Renfrewshire’s emergencies board stated the financial impact would “question the ability of the council to deliver its infrastructure and housing investment plans and priorities as was envisaged prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

There is also a major risk the council will have to throw all its financial reserves at the response to the outbreak.

A council spokesman said: “Covid-19 has had an unprecedented impact on our communities. Our immediate and overriding priority has been to help stop the spread of the virus, keep people safe and give them the support they need.

“This has included getting food and medicine to those most vulnerable, allocating funds to local businesses and supporting our communities, while ensuring all our staff can access the right support and personal protective equipment as required.

“Clearly, this has meant a lot of unplanned expenditure and, at the same time, an ongoing loss of income we had budgeted to receive.

“That has had a significant impact on our finances, albeit the issues identified apply to every council in Scotland.

“We are working to assess the longer-term impact and looking at a range of measures to address the projected shortfall, including accessing our cash reserves, re-prioritising our spending plans and monitoring any revisions to government funding.

“We are also planning for how we continue to support communities and local businesses throughout this pandemic. There is still a considerable journey ahead and we must be open and transparent about the challenge but the council has a track record of sound financial management and we will continue to do everything we can to support people while balancing our budget.”

Documents also suggest a move to make £14m of savings in 2020/21 could be significantly disrupted.

Plans to axe 180 jobs have been put on hold as a result of the pandemic, with staff who were due to leave next month asked to remain until the end of March 2021.

The move, which forms part of a transformation programme dubbed Right for Renfrewshire, was set to save the council £4.3m this year.

Bosses say “a degree of financial saving” could still be captured, as two-thirds of the staff have signalled their intent to leave in June as planned.

There are also moves being made to furlough sections of eligible staff from Renfrewshire Leisure.

The current financial outlook is based on lockdown measures remaining broadly in place until the end of next month but costs could still climb if significant restrictions are in place beyond that point.

Council papers state the estimated costs do not include those incurred in supporting the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), which provides adult services and is subject to separate cost tracking.

Read all the latest from Renfrewshire and beyond