Falkirk councillor who quit SNP dismayed at council tax freeze 'blackmail'

A former SNP councillor says the Scottish Government’s council tax freeze will hit the “poorest and most vulnerable” hardest.

Councillor Laura Murtagh, who now sits as an Independent on Falkirk Council, has now written to Deputy First Minister Shona Robison in “dismay” at her refusal to give local authorities who raise council tax their share of more than £200 million of funding.

The councillor, who represents Carse, Kinnaird & Tryst, says the freeze will mean more cuts for council services that are already stretched to the limit.

And she says councils who feel they have no choice but to accept it must be clear that any freeze this year will almost certainly mean double figure increases for the next few years.

Ms Robison, who is also finance minister, says the council tax freeze will support households that are struggling with the cost of living crisis.

And she has made it clear that councils who defy the Scottish Government and raise council tax will lose any share of £147 million funding.

Cllr Laura Murtagh Falkirk Council, Carse Kinnaird and Tryst

Nor will they receive a possible £67 million – promised just on Friday – that may come after the UK government’s spring budget.

Councillor Murtagh – who once campaigned alongside Shona Robison for Independence – says she is dismayed at “the disrespect shown to local government throughout this whole process” and saddened to find herself so at odds with her former party.

But she is adamant that the DFM has put councillors across Scotland in a position that is “completely unacceptable”.

The decision to withhold any extra funding means that councils will have to make much higher increases to council tax than they would otherwise have to, she believes.

Cllr Murtagh adds: “We must also be honest with the public that on current forecasts, it will almost certainly mean council tax increases for Falkirk’s residents of c.10 per cent or more in each of the next four years.

“If Falkirk votes to reject the freeze, it is important that Falkirk council residents are clear that it is the Scottish Government’s decision to withhold funding which could see them with double the increase than they otherwise would.”

Cllr Murtagh says the reality is that while the poorest and most vulnerable people will get council tax relief, they are also most likely to be impacted by cuts to vital local services, including public transport, community halls and sport and leisure facilities.

She is particularly concerned that this year’s budget proposals in Falkirk include cutting £600,000 from social work services although it is unclear exactly what impact this will have.

She is also appalled that Falkirk Council until very recently were seriously considering changing the school week so that pupils would not be in school on Friday afternoons in a bid to save money.

Cllr Murtagh also supports COSLA’s stance that announcing the freeze without consulting any local authorities was disrespectful to local democracy.

She said: “I find the rhetoric against councils who may need to make the difficult decision to reject the freeze, punitive and further evidence of an atmosphere of blackmail and even contempt.

Speaking on BBC Good Morning Scotland, Ms Robison defended her decision to deny extra cash to councils who raise council tax.

She said: “This isn’t about punishing councils. It’s about recognising that taken together the funding that we’re providing – the additional funding – is nearly £210 million.

“So I don’t think it’s unreasonable that council taxpayers see some of the benefits of that.”