Audit Scotland has issued a budget warning over local council finance in advance of the Scottish Government’s budget.
The report showed that council tax payers coughed up and additional £189 million in 2017/18, in the same period SNP government slashed funding by around £220 million. Taxpayers in Scotland were charged an additional £189 million last year to reduce the impact of cuts to local government. Funding for council services was revealed to be £220 million, or 2.3 per cent, lower in real terms in 2017-18 than the previous year. Most of the shortfall was made up for by increased council tax and charges.
Graham Simpson MSP said “The Audit Scotland report shows in very clear terms that following SNP Government funding cuts, council tax payers have been forced to step in and pick up the slack. In some parts of the country, these council tax hikes have made it impossible for normal working families to move to homes they need.
“Funding for council services was revealed in the report to be £220 million, or 2.3 per cent, lower in real terms in 2017-18 than the previous year. South Lanarkshire Council’s net debt is now 146 per cent compared to annual revenue – a starling figure. Yet all of this could have been avoided if SNP ministers, at the very least, had maintained levels of funding for local government. This has been a lose-lose scenario for those paying council tax, who are now worse off and still experiencing a below-par service.”
“The dire nature of local government’s finances is a direct result of political choices made by the SNP Government”.
