The budget gap figures are £3.359m in 2026/27 and £5.248m in 2027/28.

Residents are being asked for feedback on a series of savings, council tax increases, and fees and charges options to help plug the funding gap across the 2026/27 and 2027/28 budgets.

The savings options that have been put forward include closing libraries, ending free swimming, reducing employability services, stopping civic and community events, and cutting back on CCTV, community wardens, and street cleaning.

Around 70 jobs would be lost if all the savings options are taken, totalling just over £4m.

A public consultation has now been launched for people to have their say on the savings ideas and by how much council tax and fees and charges should be raised to help address the budget deficit.

Feedback from the consultation will be used by council officers and councillors during the budget setting process.

A special full council meeting is expected to be held on Thursday 5 March 2026 to set the budget and council tax rate for 2026/27.

Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “Neither myself, fellow councillors, or council officers want to cut services or increase fees and charges.

“However, the funding we receive from the Scottish Government to deliver vital, frontline services has not kept pace with demand and inflation and there is little or no fat left to trim, which is why we’re having to look at drastic measures like closing community facilities, shutting down or significantly reducing services, and increasing fees and charges.

“In Inverclyde alone, since 2008 we, as a council, have had to make budget savings of £77m and we still face an estimated total funding gap of £8.6m for the next two years.

“The stark reality is that councils have been starved of fair and sustainable funding for far too long that we are now in an impossible position of being forced to make extremely difficult decisions.

“This is the same for councils and the wider public sector in Scotland and it’s simply unsustainable and unfair on the people and the communities we serve.

“It’s important that the people who could be directly affected by these savings proposals have the opportunity to have their say and I encourage as many people as possible to take part in our public consultation ahead of the budget and council tax meeting in March.”

The savings proposals have been developed in consultation with trade unions and staff who could be affected have been informed, as well as partner organisations.

The full list of savings and council tax scenarios are below and residents can now have their say by submitting their comments on the potential council tax increases and the budget saving proposals by sending an email or a British Sign Language video to: yoursay@inverclyde.gov.uk.

The consultation will run until 9 February 2026.