Call for council tax rise to save jobs and services
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
COUNCIL tax should be increased to maintain services at their current level in the Far North and save jobs.
That was the view of some councillors in Caithness who have hit out following news that the council tax is set to be frozen for the fifth year running.
It was announced by finance secretary John Swinney that all 32 councils in Scotland have agreed to keep the same rate of council tax for the financial year between 2012-13.
But as the council continues to investigate ways to reduce its budget, Landward Caithness councillor Willie Mackay believes that it is inevitable that charges will have to rise.
He predicted that after next year the freeze would be removed and that rates will go up to meet the council’s costs.
“It has been a controversial move, but at the present time it is a good thing for people in Caithness,” he said. “Whether it can continue in the future, I’m afraid I very much have my doubts.
“We can’t keep cutting services which already exist and I believe that people would be willing to pay a bit more to maintain these services.
“With the budget leader David Alston saying that there is another £27 million in savings to be found, it is likely that there will be further cuts to services next year.
“But I feel that people would be willing to pay a little bit extra on council tax if it meant maintaining these services.
“We have to keep the frontline services going and I believe increasing council tax would go a long way to doing that.”
Landward Caithness councillor Robert Coghill maintained the freeze is a bad move, saying that paying extra would be preferential to staff having to lose their jobs.
“All political parties have supported this council tax freeze, but what people are asking me is why those who could afford to pay a little more shouldn’t, and ring fence the most vulnerable.
“We should be allowed to raise council tax. The world doesn’t stand still and one day there is going to be an almighty clamour for it to rise as the money has to come from somewhere.
“Education takes away the biggest part of the council budget and without finding other sources of income the only way the budget can be improved is by using less staff at schools.
“There has to come a time when people say that enough is enough – we’re turning the clock back on the quality of services provided.”
During his announcement about the freeze, Mr Swinney said that despite the reduction in public spending by the UK Government, over the next three years local government will receive a larger share of Scottish Government funds than in 2007
He said that since the freeze has been introduced, it has saved £500 per householder since 2008 while maintaining teacher numbers and the number of police officers.
Thurso councillor Donnie Mackay hailed the announcement as good news, saying that families on low incomes in the Far North are struggling with debt already.
“Under the economic climate at the moment, everything seems to be going up,” he said.
“I feel for the people who work on a low wage, they are never going to get anywhere with the rising cost in fuel and products.
“There are a lot of people on the breadline with debt levels becoming very high in the region. With prices continuing to rise, we have to ask – where do we stop?”
