Council tax ‘will not rise’
But council leader predicts more budget cuts
South Lanarkshire Council leader Eddie Mcavoy has pledged not to raise council tax next year.
It follows the ending of the Scottish Government’s nine-year freeze deal with local authorities.
But Mr Mcavoy warned of more cuts to services if the SNP Government reduces council funding.
There will be no rise in council tax next year, South Lanarkshire Council leader Eddie Mcavoy pledged this week.
But he warned of more cuts if the Scottish Government reduces local authority funding.
Councillor Mcavoy’s guarantee followed the ending of the Scottish Government’s nine-year tax freeze deal with local authorities which was announced earlier this year.
He said: “The council has a tough job ahead to balance the budget for next year. But we know that our residents are struggling with their budgets too. That’s why the council administration has decided not to increase council tax bills, even though the freeze has been ended by the government.
“We will deliver on this pledge even though it won’t be easy, as continued cuts in our grant have made it increasingly difficult to protect the key frontline services local people depend on.”
Earlier this year Councillor Mcavoy stated that had the local authority had the ability to raise council tax in the last few years it would have offset many of the cuts which had been made in recent years.
He said this week: “We could in theory put up council tax by as much as three per cent and that would undoubtedly have made it easier to balance the budget. But with all the pressures currently on household budgets I believe we have to do that without putting up council tax bills.”
Councillor Mcavoy described recent Scottish Government changes to council tax as “seriously flawed,” pointing out that any money raised in South Lanarkshire would go to Scottish Government coffers rather than the local authority. He warned: “I believe the best thing the council can do is keep down council tax bills next year, even though it means we will have to find savings elsewhere if, as we fear, the government cuts our funding yet again.”
South Lanarkshire SNP group spokesman Sheena Wardhaugh described Mr Mcavoy’s stance as hypocritical.
She said: “We have had to sit in committee over the last eight or nine years listening to Eddie on every possible occasion bemoaning the fact that he can’t raise council tax to maintain services and that the Scottish Government is blackmailing him to continue the freeze. The freeze has now gone but he is not going to raise council tax.
“He very conveniently puts the blame for cuts in grant on the Scottish Government, ignoring the fact that they continually face cuts from Westminster, but still have to balance a budget the same as the council.”
The South Lanarkshire branch of public service union UNISON said this week they had worked with the local authority “to mitigate some of the worse impacts of the cuts” and would continue to do so. Secretary of South Lanarkshire UNISON branch, Stephen Smellie, added: “We believe that a greater effort is needed to change the UK Government’s austerity policies and to demand greater investment in council services.”
The union are holding a meeting at South Lanarkshire headquarters next Thursday, November 17, at 7pm, to discuss the cuts’ impact and how to address them with those who use council services.