BARRHEAD’S local authority has promised there will be no compulsory redundancies in its latest budget.

East Renfrewshire is now set to receive an extra £2.5m, which means the savings that now have to be found have been reduced from £9.76m to £7.22m for the 2017/18 financial year.

It’s not yet been revealed where the extra funding will be spent, the council say they are currently considering all their options and are looking at proposals to see what further investments can be made to get the best returns for residents.

Margaret McCrossan, the council’s chief finance officer, said: “There are options available but as the announcement only came last Thursday we haven’t had the time to go over it (council budget) again yet. We couldn’t sit about until the last minute.”

A total of £4.4m in savings will be achieved through efficiency moves, proposals include; changes to refuse collection and recycling saving £300,000, and negotiating best-value contracts with suppliers which will save a further £160,000.

An extra £100,000 is being made available to provide more aids and adaptations for vulnerable residents, while £73,000 has also been earmarked to help looked-after young people into employment.

In education, £645,000 will be spent on advances in digital learning with “proper Wi-Fi” to be installed with pupils allowed to bring tablets to school. A further £350,000 will be spent on purchasing tablets to ensure all children will have access to them. Virtual reality headsets will also be purchased, with a class set for each school in the local authority.

£150,000 will be spent on wrap-around care at nurseries bringing the cost down for parents.

Streamlining Early Years staff to occupancy ratios will save another £100,000 as the number of children attending year-to-year varies and will be down this coming financial year. Better utilisation of in-house services for those with additional support needs will save a further £220,000.

The council has also pledged to increase the living wage for employees to £8.45 per hour.

Common close areas will also see improvements at a cost of £150,000.

Revealing that there would be no compulsory redundancies, council leader Jim Fletcher told the Barrhead News: “We are protecting services with a diminishing budget. We are able to increase the amount we have to spend on roads and we are listening to the things that real people care about out there; schools education, and help for the vulnerable. It has been a really difficult task but I think we have managed these savings very well.”

Other items touched on, capital investment over next eight years: Eastwood Park Leisure – £6m investment. It was built in the 1970s and as yet there is no decision whether to refurbish or build a pool elsewhere.

Barrhead Foundry pool and gym – £1.9m, again machinery is outdated and needs replacing.