People come into contact with council services at various stages of their life. From registering a birth, to attending nursery and school, to support for businesses, uplifting bins from households, providing social housing, to providing social work support for families and help at home when people are older.  These essential services, as well as many others, are delivered by the local authority.

Many people are surprised to learn that around 83% of the council’s budget comes from the Scottish Government settlement while only 17% comes from council tax. 

Even though the council has an annual budget of around £1billion, we have forecast a budget gap over the next three financial years of £85.949m, with £34.638m to be found in savings for 2026/27. 

Recent increases in government funding have largely been ringfenced for national priorities, while service costs and demand for them, have risen significantly.

We have introduced measures to try and meet the funding gaps over the last couple of years, including making savings across services, raising council tax, and increasing income from charging for services, such as garden waste disposal.

Many services have elements that are statutory, such as education, planning and environmental health. This means we need to consider discretionary services when we think about ways to make savings. The council faces difficult decisions to achieve a balanced and sustainable budget.

We would appreciate it if you could answer the following questions around how you prioritise council services, which will be used to inform future decision-making.

The council has four main service areas, which deliver a wide range of services. Please consider the individual services within each service area, and consider how you prioritise each service, from non-essential, low priority, medium priority, high priority or essential.