Council tax will be frozen

Perth and Kinross Council has voted to freeze council tax for 2021/22.

The decision came after the Scottish Government offered PKC the equivalent of a three per cent council tax rise in its draft budget with the proviso PKC froze council tax in the forthcoming financial year.

But a call has been made for a stronger one-year settlement from the Scottish Government as the move means PKC will receive £1.2 million less in revenue.

Perth and Kinross councillors met virtually to set the council tax rate on Wednesday, February 24.

A report presented to councillors said maintaining the 4.28 per cent rise in 2021/22 - set over three financial years last year - would generate about £4 million of revenue for the local authority, while freezing council tax would mean PKC would receive around £2.8m from the Scottish Government.

Council leader Murray Lyle said PKC would face a“significant expenditure pressure”on its budget and there was no indication the council tax contribution from the Scottish Government would be baselined into future allocations.

But the Conservative leader added: “Despite this I am sure that a council tax freeze in the current circumstances would be welcomed by our taxpayers and the administration motion moves to accept the terms set out in the draft Scottish budget.”

The SNP group - while supporting a freeze - tabled an amendment to delay Perth and Kinross Council’s budget meeting until March 17.

The Liberal Democrat group put forward an amendment to maintain the 4.28 per cent rise.

Group leader Peter Barrett said:“I’ve looked the council tax freeze gift horse in the mouth and its teeth are rotten.”

Councillors voted in favour of the SNP amendment as the substantive amendment to take forward to the final vote. Only PKC’s five Lib Dem councillors supported their amendment to maintain a 4.28 per cent rise in council tax.

Both the SNP amendment and Conservative motion supported a council tax freeze. But the SNP amendment requested the budget be set on March 17 while the Conservative motion moved for the budget to be set on March 10.

PKC’s revenue budget meeting was originally scheduled to take place on March 3.

SNP group leader Grant Laing said the extra week could be used to study the UK and Scottish Government budgets before setting the council budget.

Cllr Laing said the extra week would allow councillors to have all the information at their fingertips to make an“informed”decision.

The UK Budget is scheduled for March 3 and the final stage of the Scottish budget bill will be voted through on March 9.

The motion to push it back by one week to March 10 was supported by 21 Conservatives and Lib Dems to 17 votes from the SNP group and independent and Labour group.