Renfrewshire Council

What our council budget is

Our budget for 2023 to 2024 starts on 1 April 2023.

Almost 80% of our funding comes from the Scottish Government and 20% is raised through Council Tax.

The Council budget sets out our revenue and capital spending for the financial year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March.

Revenue is the day-to-day running costs to provide services and includes salary and wage costs, property costs, supplies and services, administration costs, interest payments and repayment of debts. Capital spending is what we spend on our council owned buildings and assets.

At the Council budget meeting, any increase to the rate of Council Tax and any increase to service charges and housing rent is also agreed.

What we spend it on

Two thirds of our budget is fixed and spent on children's and adult services including:

• running our schools
• looking after children and young people in care
• supporting people with disabilities and mental health problems 
• supporting and providing care for vulnerable older people.

The rest supports services for everyone, like waste collection, street cleaning and lighting, roads and parks, ensuring our neighbourhoods are safe, clean and green for everyone who lives, learns, plays and works here.

We also provide funds for OneRen to operate the region's libraries, museums and sports facilities.

The cost-of-living crisis

As a council we have already reduced our annual spending by around £160million by transforming services and by working smarter. 

The cost of services we provide, like household costs are increasingly significantly due to inflation, increased cost of materials, and rising energy and fuel costs.

What happens next

We have a significant challenge ahead, but we will continue to work with communities and partners who help us deliver social change.

We are committed to protecting priority council services and supporting the most vulnerable people in Renfrewshire.