No £1 million funds for South Lanarkshire’s council wards

Participatory Budgeting exercises will not deliver £1 million funds for each council ward in South Lanarkshire. 

With only nine months to go until the end of the Council term, the £1 million community-controlled funds promised by South Lanarkshire SNP do not even exist.

Labour councillors pushed for reports on Participatory Budgeting exercises to be presented to the Council’s Area Committees, to guarantee proper democratic oversight. Reports have been received on Participatory Budgeting exercises covering roads and footpaths, Renewable Energy Funds and Pupil Equity Funding but the promised £1 million funds for each ward are non-existent.

Councillor Monique McAdams, Labour’s Spokesperson for Finance and Corporate Resources, said: “Not only do reports on Participatory Budgeting raise serious questions about just how limited community engagement exercises have been, it is clear that the SNP’s flagship manifesto promise of £1 million community-controlled budgets in each ward by 2022 will never be delivered. It’s not even on the agenda. 

“With nine months to go until the end of the Council term, it seems that no attempt whatsoever has been made to create 20 separate community funds, all allocating £1 million each. Just like scrapping the Council Tax, dumping student debt, tackling the attainment gap or upgrading every play park in Scotland, the £1 million pledged to each ward is just another broken promise.”