Council leader hits back at Rutherglen MSP over criticism of the use of financial reserves amid cuts

dailyrecord.co.uk:

South Lanarkshire Council leader Joe Fagan has hit back at Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey after she criticised the council's use of financial reserves as communities face significant cuts to services.Council reserves are used to plan for the future and finance capital expenditure and revenue, such as known risks, ringfenced, for a specific purpose, or for emergencies or events.The SNP MSP claimed that the council had £13.4m in council reserves in 2014, with that figure rising to £150.3m in March 2024 - the highest percentage increase of all councils across Scotland at 753 percent.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android However, the council note that the figure is wrong and almost all of the money has been committed to certain uses with only £13m being left in case of a proverbial rainy day.Clare Haughey told how at the end of the last financial year alone, the Council transferred £26.35 million of underspent budgets to their coffers, which the council say was for specific purposes and, again, to help manage budget gaps.Pointing towards South Lanarkshire Council threatening the closure of Eastfield Community Centre, Halfway Library, North Halfway Hall, the Peter Brownlee Pitch and Pavilion, and Cambuslang Library, whilst changing the qualifying distance for free school bus travel, Clare Haughey told