ARGYLL and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership is in a position to recommend a balanced budget – but difficult decisions remain to be made.
That is the message in a report from the partnership’s (HSCP) chief officer ahead of the annual budget-setting process.
The HSCP’s integration joint board (IJB) will set its budget for 2026/27 on Wednesday, March 25 after a £4.2 million funding increase from Argyll and Bute Council was recently confirmed.
Chief officer Evan Beswick welcomed the additional funding, which the authority awarded when it set its own budget on Wednesday, February 25, but warned that decisions lay ahead.
He said in his report: “In relation to our finances, we are able to report today an improvement in our year-end position as a result of the difficult financial control measures we have implemented.
“We are also in a position to recommend a balanced budget to the board, a position made possible in part by the decision by Argyll and Bute Council, at their recent budget setting meeting, to increase the funding provided to the HSCP by an additional £4.2m for the next financial year.
“This does not negate the need to make some really difficult decisions around the scope and the focus of the services provided by the HSCP, but it does demonstrate the strength of the partnership within Argyll and Bute. Ultimately, this is to the benefit of the people we serve.
“This additional funding has helped avert the most harmful measures, and our recommended prioritisation has been informed by what we have heard from the public.
“I would like to thank everyone who participated in this vital piece of work and a report detailing the outcomes from the consultation is included in the papers for the meeting today.”
He also said: “Over the past months my team and I have talked to, heard from and surveyed people right across Argyll and Bute.
“We’ve been talking through the measures we require to meet our duty to present a balanced budget.
“But taken alongside our routine engagement, our joint strategic plan consultation, our community conversations and the sessions we have been conducting with elected members and staff, this past year marks the most sustained and meaningful process of engagement about the future of health and social care in Argyll and Bute.”
