18 February 2005
Council tax bills in Scotland are to rise by an average of 3.9%, bringing the middle-ranging Band D charge to £1,094.
Council leaders blamed the Scottish Executive's 'tight' local government settlement and pressures outside of their control for making above-inflation increases inevitable.
The figures, announced last week by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, have come below the 4.5% increase which councils had forecast before finalising their budgets.
The tax in individual councils varies from 2.2% in West Dunbartonshire to 5.3% in Angus. The highest charge on a Band D property in Scotland in 2005/06 is £1,213 in Glasgow, Scotland's biggest local authority.
In the Scottish Parliament, Scottish National Party deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon said: 'Action has been taken to help English council taxpayers and the first minister hasn't lifted a finger to help council taxpayers here in Scotland.'
First Minister Jack McConnell said councils south of the border had been given only £120m of new money, with Scotland receiving £12m as its share.
Cosla has complained that this money has not been passed on to councils in Scotland. But McConnell said Scottish local government had received a 5.5% increase in resources from central government for the coming financial year on top of resource increases of about 40% in the five years since devolution. He said there was 'absolutely no need' for councils to impose excessive increases in their council tax.
Cosla finance spokesman John Pentland said that by 2007/08, local government's share of the public sector purse would have reduced by almost 8% since 1997/98.
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