Over £1 billion Edinburgh Council spending agreed for 2022/23

Council tax in Edinburgh will rise by three per cent from April, as part of a budget which has agreed spending of more than £1 billion over the next year.

Stock photo by John Devlin.

The City of Edinburgh Council budget for 2022/23 includes investments of £1m in roads and pavements and £1.5m to “deep clean” the city and improve its parks.

Councillors also voted to freeze rent for council tenants for the second year and set aside £1.1m to help ease the cost of living crisis for those most in need.

Included in £236,689,000 of capital spending is £42m for the extension of the city’s tram line to Newhaven, due to open next year, whilst £2m originally budgeted for free tram travel for under 22s was scrapped at the last minute and put into reserves.

Education and Children’s Services will receive a total £35.34m from the budget in the year ahead, whilst parks, greenspace, cemeteries will get £2.14m.

Furthermore, a commitment was made to invest 10 per cent of the council’s roads and transport budget (£1.783m) in cycling infrastructure and £6.3m to decarbonise the council’s vehicle fleet.

Meanwhile, city centre parking charges, allotment hire and garden waste collection fees will all rise by around five per cent – whilst the cost of school milk is set to increase by nearly 30 per cent.

And in South Queensferry, pay and display parking will increase by 12.5 per cent.

A council tax rise of three per cent was agreed – double the figure proposed by the Tories but matched by the Greens and Lib Dems – which will see band A residents paying £2.23 more each month.

Over the year, the most wealthy in band H will see their bills rise by nearly £100.