IT'S that time of the year again where the Council’s budget process is well underway.

In just under a month's time Councillors will meet at the second last Full Council meeting of this term to pass a budget for the year ahead.

The decisions taken on budget day are some of the most important for the entire year.

Over the past 15 years, our city’s budget has been slashed on an annual basis by the SNP in Holyrood. Their contempt for local government - for the residents who rely on Local Government services - makes the choices facing Councillors even more difficult.

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When I first stood for the Council five years ago, I did so because I wanted to make a positive difference. Not to continuously be calling out the crises caused by the SNP.

We already know that in this coming budget settlement local councils face another real-terms funding cut of £371 million. But, what does that really mean for our communities and Glasgow as a city?    

Ask almost anyone who lives in the City. Are your bin collections, public transport options, parks, pavements and roads better than they were? Or worse?

After five years of the SNP in Glasgow, and fifteen years at Holyrood, the answer almost universally is worse.

With many essential and statutory services already cut to a skeleton service. We know that more cuts will only add even further pressure on our frontline workers where morale is already at rock bottom          

That is the impact of over a decades worth of cuts to our city. There once was a time that Council’s could pioneer and lead the way in improving lives. Now, they struggle to deliver their statutory duties. And it’s our communities who suffer.

Just this week we’ve heard of the growing pressure on our A&E services, with patients being urged not to attend unless it is “life-threatening” and ambulances having to be diverted from the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. How many slips, trips, falls and accidents have there been they could’ve been avoided if the Council had patched up the roads and pavements sooner - or got more gritters out on time?           

We know that libraries, parks and sports facilities are all crucial to good mental health. So what is the impact when these facilities are closed indefinitely or not maintained as they should be?

And what will the impact be on our Country’s economy, if it’s largest City struggles to consider planning and licensing applications because of the immense pressures on staff time? What does our City look like if we can’t support new businesses in time to create jobs?

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The SNP’s short-sightedness and mismanagement is laid bare by their decision to further cut Council budgets. Cuts to Councils make it harder for people, and puts pressure on all of our public services.

This year, as in any other, Officers have prepared ‘options’ for budget cuts. But the SNP’s maths means that they’re not really options. The only real choice facing Councillors is by how much to increase Council Tax - while the cost of living is rising at its fastest in 30 years.

It’s time Glasgow was given its fair share of funding so we can all have a thriving city to be proud of. Glasgow deserves better than this.