Borders Community Action Response to the Scottish Borders Council Budget Consultation

Borders Community Action welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Scottish Borders Council’s 2026–27 budget consultation. This response draws on feedback as part of our surveys and in-person engagement with the third sector, and reflects a strong appetite across communities for innovation, collaboration and long-term, sustainable solutions.

Our priority focus is “Empowered, Vibrant Communities”, recognising that all Council Plan themes are mutually reinforcing and most effective when pursued together. We see this as an opportunity for the Council to embed service transformation at the heart of budget decisions, working proactively with the third sector to co-design and co-deliver services that are closer to communities, more responsive and more cost-effective over time.

Scottish Borders based organisations and those working to deliver community based activities are clear that they want to protect vital services while also acknowledging the scale of the financial challenge. Borders Community Action believes this can be achieved through a planned programme of public service redesign, including thoughtful devolution of non-statutory functions and strategic use of outsourcing where appropriate. By resourcing local third sector partners who already have strong community relationships and delivery experience, the Council can reduce overheads, minimise duplication and create more resilient, joined-up local systems.

There is strong support for a more partnership-based model of inward investment, where the Council, the third sector, business support agencies and the health board work together to bring resources into the Borders and ensure they directly benefit local people. This approach can help unlock new business opportunities, strengthen community wellbeing and position the Scottish Borders as a place that is ready to innovate and adapt.

Digital transformation, if delivered inclusively, is seen as a key part of this picture. Borders Community Action understands that the use of technology can help reduce costs for the local authority; however, it is also important to consider that support for those most at risk of exclusion needs to be prioritised. Borders Community Action recommends that the Council pair investment in digital systems with investment in community-based support for digital access and skills, utilising local third-sector organisations as trusted connectors. This would help ensure that digital change reduces, rather than deepens, inequalities and can be framed as an “invest to save” approach.

Similarly, there is strong community support for culture and sports as essential contributors to health, well-being and social connection. Borders Community Action would welcome a refreshed, partnership-oriented management approach for these services, combining business acumen with community leadership instead of relying solely on traditional council service models.

On charges and taxation, it is clear that difficult choices are unavoidable, but we express concern that higher service charges risk pushing more people into hardship and undermining wider anti-poverty objectives. Borders Community Action therefore encourages the Council to work with third sector partners to explore alternative cost-saving models, such as community-led delivery of programmes like summer activities, and to consider the unintended impacts of measures such as increased parking charges on local high streets.

In relation to schools, nurseries and transport, communities are keen to see decisions that balance short-term savings with long-term outcomes around health, accessibility and climate. Investment in safe walking and wheeling routes, community transport and local provision can support active travel, reduce isolation and improve health, while also contributing to environmental goals.

Recent developments around proposed changes to community centres have underlined both the strength of local feeling and the ongoing fragility of these vital assets. While some immediate closure threats have been reversed, communities are now shouldering a significant sense of responsibility and risk as they consider asset transfer and new management models. Borders Community Action therefore recommends that a clear, time-bound and fully resourced support plan is agreed with communities, providing practical guidance, capacity building and financial backing to give the highest possible chance of success. Given the proven contribution of community centres to long-term health, social inclusion and wellbeing, such support should be recognised as a preventative investment that delivers savings to the public purse over time, as well as sustaining these vibrant community spaces with the robust and efficient management structures they require.

Borders Community Action’s position is that the budget challenge, while significant, also presents a real opportunity for systemic, partnership-driven reform. With a clear commitment to co-design, shared responsibility and fair resourcing of community partners, the Council can move beyond piecemeal cuts towards a more strategic, whole-system redesign that protects what matters most, delivers better value for the public purse and strengthens communities across the Scottish Borders.