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Friday 19 September
Welcome to Council News, your fortnightly update from our council.
Our team is always keen to give you updates on the things that matter the most to you.
We also want to share positive stories about things that are happening in your community.
If you have news that you'd like to share – shining a light on an individual, community group or event – we would love to feature them in our Community bulletin.
Please email us at communitybulletin@dumgal.gov.uk with feedback or story ideas and one of our reporters will get back to you.
Budget Consultation 2026/27
Dumfries and Galloway Council will launch its Budget Consultation 2026/27 in mid-October. Residents, colleagues and partners are invited to share their views on how we should respond to nationwide financial challenges.
The consultation runs from Friday 17 October to Sunday 23 November 2025, giving everyone five weeks to consider a range of budget savings and income-generation options and provide feedback.
An interactive Budget Simulator will go live in late September to help people explore the challenge and the trade-offs involved in balancing the council’s budget.
Like councils across Scotland, we face significant financial pressures. Rising costs and demand for services mean we need to find around £35 million through savings and income generation over the next three years.
Importantly, this £35 million shortfall does not include any Council Tax increases that were tentatively planned by the council for 2026/27 and 2027/28. Even with the additional income from Council Tax, the council would still face a significant budget funding gap.
This means substantial savings, efficiencies and income generation are still required to balance the books, on top of the £133 million in savings the council has made over the past 16 years.
Full details, including consultation documents, survey links and event dates, will be published on our website when the consultation opens on 17 October.
 Up to £38 Million Contract Awarded to Advance Flood Scheme; Full Approval Pending
Dumfries and Galloway Council today confirmed the award of a contract valued at up to £38 million for the Whitesands Flood Protection Scheme, awarded through open tender to UK-based civil engineering firm McLaughlin & Harvey. This is not a confirmed spend at this stage.
The two-stage contract will see the first phase focus on McLaughlin & Harvey working with the council to refine the scheme’s design, phasing, and updated cost estimates; with the aim of ensuring the project is buildable, cost-effective and minimises disruption before any major construction begins.
A full business case – including final design details, refined costings and market-tested prices – will be presented to Full Council on 12 December 2025. At that point, councillors will decide whether to proceed to construction.
If approved, stage two would deliver the flood defences themselves – including new flood walls, glass panels, gates, and a raised riverside walkway.
The proposed funding model is 80% from the Scottish Government and 20% from the council, subject to approval. No commitment to the full expenditure will be made unless councillors explicitly vote to advance the scheme in December.
 Help Shape the Journey in Wigtownshire with DGC Buses
Dumfries and Galloway Council is inviting residents of Wigtownshire to help shape the future of local bus services.
Following recent changes to the bus network in the west of the region, our council is keen to hear from passengers about what’s working well and where improvements could be made.
Since the launch of the new network on 7 August, DGC Buses has significantly expanded its services and is now the sole provider of bus services in Wigtownshire.
Eight DGC Buses routes are being reviewed to understand how well they meet local needs. These services connect people to essential destinations, such as Newton Stewart, Girvan, the Machars, Portpatrick, Drummore, Stranraer and Kirkcolm.
The deadline for feedback is 17 October and residents can complete the feedback form online at: https://forms.office.com/e/7XZgLa2KbF
 Respect Our Colleagues – Building Respect Together
Every council employee is a person first – a parent, a partner, a neighbour, a volunteer – helping deliver vital services in the communities we all care about.
We’re reaffirming our Respect Our Colleagues campaign across our communications channels. No one should face abuse, aggression or disrespect at work – online, on the phone or in person.
You may start see posters going up in council buildings and social media messaging reinforcing expectations – we all have a role to play in fostering a culture of respect.
 Cost of Living Support
Residents across our region can easily access the cost-of-living support they need through a partnership website that acts as a central repository of local, national and UK-wide cost-of-living resources on a range of subjects.
These include:
- Support for income.
- Help for households.
- Help finding work.
- Families and young people.
- Older and disabled people.
- Health and wellbeing.
Whether it's to locate your nearest food bank, get help with homelessness and housing options or access childcare and family support – there is lots of information on the website.
In the News
We publish all of our press releases from the last 12 months on our website so you can keep up-to-date.
Recent releases include:
- Up to £38 Million Contract Awarded to Advance Flood Scheme; Full Approval Pending.
- ARC Members from Dumfries and Castle Douglas Champion Rights at National Involvement Network Meeting.
- Dumfries and Galloway Council secures funding to expand EV charging network.
- Councillor Archie Dryburgh Honoured at UK-wide APSE Awards.
Have Your Say
We welcome your feedback and hold public consultations and information days so that you can take part in decisions that affect you.
Watch Council Meetings
We stream videos of a wide range of council meetings on our YouTube channel.
Recent recordings include:
- Local Review Body.
- Enabling and Customer Services Committee.
- Stewartry Area Committee.
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