Dumfries and Galloway Council administration outlines spending plans

Dumfries and Galloway Council's Labour administration has outlined its spending plans for the year ahead.

They include more than £2.5m towards tackling poverty in the region.

However, it has yet to reveal whether it intends to increase council tax which it could raise by up to 3%.

Other political groups on the local authority are also able to submit their own budget proposals which will be debated at a full meeting of the council next week.

The Labour group's plans include:

• a £350,000 anti-poverty fund to be allocated to community projects such as food banks

• £400,000 to develop free breakfast clubs in primary schools

• £250,000 to close the gaps in the provision of anti-poverty support

• a £1.458m "links to work" scheme aimed at providing intense support for people living in poverty to help them back into work

Council leader Ronnie Nicholson said: "I am proud of the fact that we have developed the region's first ever anti-poverty strategy which is already making a real difference to many people's lives.

"As part of that strategy this administration ensured Dumfries and Galloway Council became the first living wage accredited council in Scotland and recently we scrapped all charges in schools for home economics and technical subjects.

"These latest proposals build on those early achievements under the strategy and will support some of the most vulnerable families in our communities."