All 32 Scottish local authorities accept compensation funding from the Scottish Government to freeze council tax

Highland MSP and Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said that the replacement funding allowing local authorities to freeze council tax this year has been a huge success with a 100 per cent uptake.

All 32 councils across Scotland have chosen to freeze council tax after she offered a commitment in this year’s budget to compensate those authorities which do not raise the tax – offering a welcome break for hard-pressed households.

As part of this year’s Scottish Budget, Ms Forbes allocated £90 million – the equivalent of around a three per cent council tax increase – on top of the local government settlement to compensate councils.

Highland Council was one of the first to accept the funding and duly took any hike off the table effectively allowing it to kickstart investment at the local level rather than draining cash from homeowners.

Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Ms Forbes said: “With people facing unprecedented challenges and extra pressures, now is a time to work together to provide stability and certainty.

“In the budget for the year ahead I took the significant step of providing £90 million to support a national council tax freeze, giving local authorities the option to support families while ensuring there would be no impact on vital local services.

“I am pleased that councils have taken advantage of this additional support and have protected household finances. This will make a real difference to people across Scotland.

“I have also confirmed that the funding provided this year to support the council tax freeze will be maintained in local authority budgets going forward, providing additional certainty to local government.”

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