THIS week's Councillor Column is written by Ellen Morton, Liberal Democrat councillor for Helensburgh and Lomond South and the depute leader of Argyll and Bute Council.

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Many thanks and congratulations to all the individuals and organisations involved in the very successful Helensburgh Winter Festival and the Christmas lights switch-on.

There are too many to name them all here in a short column but their efforts are very worthwhile and much appreciated by the community.

I have heard nothing but praise for what they have achieved. The atmosphere in the town was fantastic over both weekends and it was great to see visitors and locals enjoying themselves while the cafes, pubs and restaurants in particular seemed to be doing a roaring trade.

The Winter Festival is funded mainly by the council, but given the scale of budget cuts we face, this funding will run out shortly, while the Christmas Lights funding will end in two years.

I hope that local businesses and community groups benefit from these two events and will give serious consideration as to whether they could become more involved in supporting them.

The support could range from sponsorship of an individual activity, to practical help on the ground with the physical work that needs to be done. Or you might help to promote the event or to generally fundraise or make a donation either in cash or in kind.

I know that planning for next year will be starting shortly so if you think you would like to be more involved please get in touch with the organisers.

* The council will be going out to consultation shortly on the 2017 budget, which will be set on February 23.

Please get involved in this and help us identify local priorities as we make difficult choices. We will not know the detail of our funding from the Scottish Government until the New Year but all the predictions are that there will be significant cuts in our grant. The bulk of the council funding comes from the Scottish Government not from council tax raised locally.

We already know that council tax will rise next year for all houses in bands E, F,G or H which will hit the majority of houses in Helensburgh and Lomond. We also know that this additional money will not go directly to local councils but rather to the SNP Government for spending on education.

How it will be allocated has not been announced yet but this will be the first time that council tax raised locally will not be spent locally.

As well as the government increase for the higher banded houses, there may be a second increase for all households as, after years of a council tax freeze, the Scottish Government will allow councils to raise the tax by a maximum of three per cent.