With three months to go before councillors set next year’s budget, residents are encouraged to have their say on where the council should invest and save.
Launched today (Wednesday 20 November) against a backdrop of rising demand for services and reduced local government resources, a new online budget consultation asks people which services should be prioritised.
It is expected that around £30 million will need to be saved next year, with proposals to balance the budget including potential increases to council tax and parking charges.
Council Leader, Cammy Day, said:
During a decade of chronic underfunding from the Scottish Government, Edinburgh has had to make year on year savings worth £400 million. With an extra £30 million to find next year, we have to do even more to reduce spending, generate income and plan for future growth.
Other councils in Scotland are facing the same financial challenges and, like them, we’ll need to make tough decisions. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be ambitious for our capital city – or stray from our commitment to protect those services that we know many of our most vulnerable residents rely upon.
We’ll continue to drive forward new income raising powers - like a Visitor Levy for Edinburgh which will deliver the best for the city – and I won’t tire of fighting for fairer funding. The extra £3.4 billion pledged by the UK Government to Scotland could be worth millions for Edinburgh, and the city’s share must be passed on in full.
Just as our 2024/25 budget invests millions of pounds towards protecting and improving vital frontline services, we want to continue to make Edinburgh a great place to live. Be it continuing to improve our roads, parks, and greenspaces, supporting our schools, addressing poverty and homelessness, or working towards tackling our climate crisis, we need your views to make sure this continues in your communities.
Councillor Mandy Watt, Finance and Resources Convener, said:
Edinburgh has a long track record of strong financial management and balancing the council’s budget year after year, but the challenges are mounting.
The city is facing a housing and homelessness crisis, following decisions made by the Scottish Government, which has resulted in escalating costs for temporary accommodation. Alongside severe pressures on health and social care, this is having a huge impact on our finances and the latest projections show that we will face a shortfall of £30 million next year.
The suggestions being put forward now by officers reflect the challenges that we face. I appreciate their work on this, as we look at ways of narrowing the budget gap whilst protecting our day-to-day services and investing in Edinburgh’s future.
Nothing has been agreed yet and I hope you take the time to let us know what you think. We’ll need to consider these proposals and all of the feedback very carefully.
Alongside the results of a 16-week consultation carried out earlier this year - mapping out community services and issues residents care about most - and feedback from in-depth focus groups, the feedback will inform the council’s final 2024/25 budget when it is agreed on 20 February 2025.
The budget proposals and consultation can all be accessed at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/budget until 14 January 2025.