Glasgow councillors pass budget backing council tax freeze

Glasgow’s local authority has passed its budget for the next three years, with councillors choosing to freeze council tax.

At a budget meeting on Thursday, the proposals were approved after a deal between the SNP and Green groups on Glasgow city council.

It comes after Scotland’s finance secretary Shona Robison warned local authorities they will not receive money to cover a council tax freeze if they opt to increase the levy.

Unions have protested against planned budget cuts to services in Glasgow, saying they are already “on their knees”.

During the Glasgow council meeting city treasurer Ricky Bell, from the governing SNP group, said the council tax freeze was “fully funded”.

Susan Aitken said ‘tough decisions’ had to be made PA Media

Council leader Susan Aitken also backed the council tax freeze.

She said: “We don’t have the powers in Scotland just now to address rampant inflation and mortgage rates.

“But we can choose not to pass an increase in this particular bill on to our residents during a tough time, even as we continue to argue for fundamental reform in local taxation.”

Drafting the budget had meant “facing some tough decisions head on”, she said.

Labour councillor Jill Brown said: “We are accepting the council tax freeze as well.

“In a state where our citizens are suffering from a cost-of-living crisis it is the only option available.”

However she said the SNP/Green government at Holyrood had passed on “drastic cuts” to the local authority.

The SNP budget for the council included cuts to teachers, she said.

A report from officials said there was a £107.7m spending gap over the next three years following the latest settlement from Holyrood.

Earlier this month Robison, who is also the Deputy First Minister, asked all of Scotland’s 32 councils to confirm their intentions on the council tax freeze by February 16.

However the budget processes of many councils are expected to continue beyond this point.

Local authorities across Scotland have been offered £144m in compensation for the SNP’s council tax freeze policy, though the umbrella body for local governments has said this is not enough.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The deputy first minister wrote to councils to ask for confirmation of their intentions on the council tax freeze by February 16 to inform stage two of the Scottish Budget.

“Ministers recognise that by that date, councils may still be finalising their council tax intentions and those will be subject to confirmation at council budget meetings in February and March.”