THIS week's Councillor Column is written by David Kinniburgh, Conservative member for Helensburgh and Lomond South.

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I have been privileged to represent the people of Helensburgh and Lomond South over the last two terms of the council, but as a councillor, one of the most difficult meetings held each year is the annual meeting of the council which approves the budget for the coming year.

It is a meeting which does not get any easier as the funding to local government is being reduced on an annual basis by the Scottish Government, but whether as part of the administration or opposition of the council I have always supported budget plans which I believed best represent the views of the constituents I represent.

Of course no-one likes voting for a reduction in the services the council provides, or for increases in fees charged for other services, but there is an obligation to make sure that the budget balances over the financial year, and those difficult decisions are taken to allow that to happen.

The final budget proposals that are considered by councillors are produced after having been through various stages – public consultation, seminars for elected members, group meetings, committees etc. - which brings me to the important issue of voting on budget proposals.

Although no one likes voting on difficult choices, it allows the constituents we represent to see the proposals we have accepted to allow us to meet the legal obligation of making the budget balance. Different councillors may have different views on how this legal obligation should be met, and last week three budget proposals were presented to the full council meeting, from the ruling administration, the SNP and the Reform Group, and the various proposals are public documents on the council website.

Over the past few months Councillor George Freeman, who represents Lomond North ward, has been in the media criticising decisions taken in last year's administration budget and no doubt he will be critical of this years’ budget decision.

However having left the 2016 budget meeting before any vote was taken and then having registered a ‘No Vote’ at last week’s 2017 budget meeting I am left wondering what difficult decisions Cllr Freeman would have taken to meet the legal obligation of balancing the budget.

I think those he represents deserve to know that when he presents the view “I didn’t vote for that” it is only true because he didn’t vote for anything!