COUNCIL tax in North Ayrshire is set to rise by the maximum amount of 4.79 per cent.

Labour councillor and leader of North Ayrshire Council Joe Cullinane proposed his budget with both the SNP and Conservative Groups putting forward amendments.

The SNP proposed an increase of 3.7 per cent with savings being found from the Community Investment Fund and reduction of additional funding to the Health and Social Care Partnership.

No major cuts or new build projects were revealed for Largs or neighbouring areas as part of the process.

North Ayrshire’s Conservatives proposed a three per cent increase whilst looking to cut the same Community Investment Fund, removing funding for teaching posts in primary and secondary schools and to suspend recruitment to the council’s Modern Apprentice Scheme.

Following a vote, Labour defeated the SNP’s amendment by 11 votes to nine, with Kilbirnie and Beith Independent Councillor Donald Reid voting with Labour.

Their motion carried forward to face the Conservative’s amendment and the SNP and Labour voted together to defeat that by 20 votes to six.

Council leader Joe Cullinane said: “There’s no doubt that with every passing year, it gets more difficult to balance the Budget while protecting jobs and our frontline services.

“In the face of austerity, it’s remarkable that we will actually be creating jobs this year, with new posts opening up in social care and in early years.

“But that doesn’t take away from the fact that if local government continues to be underfunded, year after year, services will inevitably suffer.”

Cllr Marie Burns said: “SNP Councillors proposed a budget that reluctantly accepted the savings identified by officers and added further savings of £312k from Community Investment Fund reserves and £277k from the additional funding provided by the Scottish Government for the Health and Social Care Partnership.

This meant that we could have restricted the Council Tax increase to 3.7 per cent while still increasing funding to health and social care, protecting education services including teachers and classroom assistants and providing additional funding to our local community volunteers.”

Cllr Todd Ferguson, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group, said: “SNP Councillor Marie Burns accused our Group of being elected in 2017 on the back of an anti indyref2 manifesto pledge. Perhaps Councillor Burns should pay closer attention to public opinion.

“North Ayrshire residents returned seven Scottish Conservative and Unionist councillors on that very pledge.

“However, what the nationalists fail to realise is that we were also elected on a promise not to increase council tax above inflation.

“The Local Election manifesto pledge, that Councillor Burns and friends were elected under, promised to,‘Cap council tax at no more than three per cent per year.’

“Today, the SNP trampled all over that promise to the people of North Ayrshire when they voted with Labour to increase council tax to 4.79 per cent in the 2019/20 budget.

“After initially proposing a 3.7 per cent increase themselves, they then flip flopped to vote against the three per cent proposed by our group.”