Taxing times as councils begin to swing the axe
Bills set to rise thanks to SNP underfunding
SCOTLAND’s local authorities are set to axe vital public services even as householders are hit with record council tax bills.
Residents in some parts of the country are to be hit with a council tax rise in April of 4.25 per cent.
Meanwhile, local authorities are planning cost savings which will see public toilets closed, lollipop crossing guards axed and cleaning services cut.
Cosla, the umbrella body representing councils, has already warned that the Scottish Government’s Budget represents a £100 million cut.
Now individual councils have revealed how local services will be hit as they draw up budget plans for 2022/23.
In some cases, pupils will be made to pay more towards school lunches, while parents will see the cost of out-of-school clubs rise.
The war on motorists will also step up a gear, with increased charges for on-street parking and residents’ permits.
Support for businesses could also be affected, while Glasgow City
Council – wrestling with a massive £19.7 million shortfall – is reviewing the single person council tax discount, which raises the threat of rising bills.
Mark Griffin, Scottish Labour’s local government spokesman, said: ‘Another year of savage SNP cuts to local government will have a deeply damaging impact on communities across Scotland.
‘This should have been an ambitious budget for recovery, but instead the SNP has continued to inflict cuts on hard-pressed councils.
‘This can only mean cuts to services and facilities used by millions across Scotland.’
Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative finance spokesman, added: ‘Councils across Scotland are having to make tough choices.
‘Each and every service that is scrapped or cut back will have a huge impact on the wellbeing of our communities and will hit residents hard in the middle of a cost of living crisis.
‘The SNP must look again at providing more support for councils.’
Local authorities fear the cuts could become so devastating that they will struggle to fund even essential services. A Cosla spokesman said: ‘Many council leaders have described this year’s Budget as the worst they have ever seen.
‘Our ongoing concern remains that the share of councils’ core budget over which they have discretion is shrinking and makes the delivery of essential services very challenging.
‘For the most part, additional funding comes for Scottish Government priorities, increasing pressure on the core even further – an experience we are forced to deal with most years.
‘Local government has been making efficiency savings for more than a decade – there is nowhere left to go and that is why councils are being faced with these stark choices.’
Councils were already strapped for cash before the Covid pandemic and have seen their finances dramatically worsen with the forced closures of leisure centres and libraries.
Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has insisted that the settlement is fair to local authorities and there should be no need for ‘inflationbusting’ council tax rises.
The Scottish Government said last night that it had listened to
‘Deeply damaging impact on communities’ ‘Councils are being faced with stark choices’
concerns and had made more money available.
A spokesman said: ‘Local authorities play an important role in our communities and our ongoing response to the pandemic and we understand the financial challenges they face.
‘Councils asked for an additional £100 million to deal with particular pressures. We have gone further by providing £120 million. This will allow them to deal with the most pressing issues they face.
‘The overall local government 2022/23 funding package of more than £12.6 billion represents an increase of more than £1 billion, or 6.1 per cent in real terms, compared with 2021/22.
‘This comes against a cut to the Scottish Government’s overall budget of 5.2 per cent in real terms, due primarily to UK Government funding reductions.’