The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Put the people before your party, SNP councillors told
Council tax: Authority urged to fight handover of north-east revenues
Aberdeenshire Council’s ruling SNP group has been challenged to put northeast residents before “the party in Edinburgh” as the row over proposed changes to council tax deepens.
Under Scottish Government plans, homeowners in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire will hand over £47million in local government tax rises – which will be spent on services elsewhere in the country.
Opposition politicians have reacted angrily to the proposals, which include increased bills for people in band E-H homes. A disproportionate number of households – 41% – in Aberdeenshire will be affected by the rises, compared with a national average of 25%.
Labour-controlled Aberdeen City Council has already criticised the plans, but now the Tories’ five north-east MSPs are challenging the SNP in Aberdeenshire to follow suit.
Aberdeenshire MSP Alexander Burnett and north-east regional members Alex Johnstone, Ross Thomson, Peter Chapman and Liam Kerr said: “It is time for Aberdeenshire Council’s SNP group to make a decision – are they going to represent the interests of north-east residents, or are they going to toe the party line? Aberdeen City Council has said it will fight this plan to redistribute council tax revenue, which will not benefit this area. We believe taxes collected locally should be spent locally on crucial services like schools, roads and elderly care.”
The MSPs suggested people living in Band E and F properties were “not the rich” and families were being “penalised” because of high property values in the region. They added: “Given the difficulties facing the north-east economy, the last thing people need is to see their bills going up.
“And if the bills are to rise, they will want that money to help hire more teachers to plug the many gaps in our local education system, not to be shipped off to schools in Glasgow.
“Will SNP politicians here in the north-east put the people here or the party in Edinburgh first?”