Council tax is ‘good value’ for just 1 in 6

ALMOST three-quarters of Scots are against planned council tax rises north of the Border, according to the results of a poll.

Cash-strapped local authorities have signalled they will increase council tax by at least 3 per cent from April 1.

However, a Censuswide Scotland poll of more than 1,000 voters from across the country for the Scottish Mail on Sunday showed the majority of Scots do not support the hike.

Most people are also worried they will not be able to afford the higher bill – and do not feel they receive good value for money for the amount they pay out at present.

All councils said last year they intended a 3 per cent increase for 2019-20 – but as of last week’s Budget deal, Finance Secretary Derek Mackay increased the cap on council tax rises to 4.79 per cent.

Critics labelled the move, set amidst closures of public libraries, community centres and parks as well as the axing of other key public services, a ‘tax bombshell’.

If implemented, the maximum hike of 4.79 per cent would increase the annual bill for an average Band D by £58 to £1,266, and the bill for an average Band H home would jump by £142 a year to £3,102.

Our new poll showed a resounding 73 per cent of respondents were against a three per cent increase – 77 per cent of women and 65 per cent of men surveyed.

Asked if they believed they were getting good value for money from their council tax at present, only 16 per cent answered ‘yes’, 65 per cent said ‘no’.

In addition, 41 per cent of people admitted they would struggle to afford an increase in council tax and just 26 per cent said the proposed rise would not affect them.

Half of parents with children under the age of one and said they would struggle to afford the rise, with respondents in the Dundee area most likely to have difficulty paying (53 per cent) compared to only 31 per cent in the south of Scotland.