London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jan 05, 2026

Council tax bills in seven areas to increase by at least 5%

Council tax bills in seven areas to increase by at least 5%

Eight more of Scotland's 32 councils have made their final budget decisions for the year ahead.

Aberdeen, Moray, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire confirmed a council tax increase of 5% to address rising cost pressures.

In East Renfrewshire it will rise by 6% and in Falkirk by 7%, as the local authority needs to save £63m over the next four years.

Meanwhile, Perth and Kinross Council agreed a 3.9% increase.

Cuts to local services and increases in council tax are likely as authorities grapple with major funding gaps.

A council tax rise of 10% had been recommended in Aberdeen, after the same percentage rise was approved in Orkney.

On Tuesday councillors in Dumfries and Galloway raised council tax by 6%; in East Lothian it will increase by 7%.

Individual local authorities across Scotland have shortfalls ranging from around £7m to £120m, according to research published by the BBC earlier this month.

Council tax only generates about 13% of local government funding, with most of their cash coming from the Scottish government.

Councils have faced a long term squeeze on their finances and argue that they are underfunded.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced an extra £100m for councils last week, which he said equated to a 3% real-terms increase.

There will be a Scottish government-led debate at Holyrood on Wednesday focusing on the issue of local government finance.


What decisions are councils facing?


Aberdeen City Council has revealed it needs to make savings of £46.6m to balance its books.

The list of savings options includes plans to cut £160,000 of funding to VisitAberdeenshire.

The tourism agency is funded by the city and Aberdeenshire councils, along with economic development partnership Opportunity North East.

In East Renfrewshire, there is already a £40 charge, on top of council tax, for households that want garden waste removed. This will go up to £50.

East Renfrewshire Council is considering increasing the charge for picking up garden waste


The council has decided to sell its distinctive civic number plate HS 0 to the highest bidder, with experts estimating it could be worth £150,000-£250,000.

Teacher and school support staff numbers have been protected though there will be a reduction in school janitorial and cleaning services.

Council bosses in Falkirk are set to use cash for paying off privately built secondary school debt to free up £15m to help deal with a £60m budget shortfall.

The "technical" change in how the council pays for the construction of the high schools will allow it to set its budget without drastically slashing services.

The change, approved this year by the Scottish government, effectively means that local authorities can now spread the cost of payments for any public-private finance projects over the length of the building's expected life, rather than the length of any contract.

Falkirk Council has agreed in principle to offload up to 133 ageing properties, a list that includes Polmonthill ski centre and Bo'ness recreation centre, while the future of Grangemouth stadium is also uncertain.

Scottish athlete Eilish McColgan has backed calls for Grangemouth Stadium to be saved


Council tax in Moray will go up by 5% from April, meaning a band D bill will rise by just over £68 a year to £1,430.

The council said £49.6m is expected to be brought in from council tax in the coming year.

Around £28m needs to be found over the next two financial years. Plans include using just under £14.77m in Covid reserves to balance the books.

There is also a proposal to increase temporary accommodation charges by 27%. Another proposal would see a 10% rise in the cost of burying the dead, with charges for the interment of local adults set to rise from £949 to £1,044.

In North Ayrshire, the Arran outdoor education centre could be closed to save cash.

Around 200 full-time equivalent jobs could go at Perth and Kinross Council over the next three years.

However the council said a "small reduction" in staff numbers was likely to be achieved through managing existing vacancies and staff turnover.

A raft of cuts were proposed as council bosses attempt to fill a £31m funding shortfall.

While teachers themselves have been protected from cuts by the Scottish government, schools could still be among the worst hit.

Recommended savings include removing all school crossing patrollers, stopping primary swimming lessons, closing breakfast clubs and raising the price of school meals.

South Ayrshire Council has to find £37.8m in savings over the next three years.

The council has has kept its cards close to its chest but warned of difficult choices, given it has already spent around £7.5m more than it budgeted for last March.

This is largely ascribed to spiralling inflation and a 50% increase in energy prices as well as higher than expected staff pay settlements.

In West Dunbartonshire, Dalmuir Library will be moved to Dalmuir community centre under proposals to plug the council's £21.6m budget gap.

The local authority also confirmed its school clothing grant will revert to £150 per child each year, after it was increased using one-off Covid funding last year.

Further savings will be made from a review of senior early learning and childcare officers and cuts to the budget for grounds maintenance in educational premises.

It also unveiled a new £1m support package to help those struggling financially in the community through measures such as monthly subsidies to food banks.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
HSBC Leads 2026 Mortgage Rate Cuts as UK Lending Costs Ease
US Joint Chiefs Chairman Outlines How Operation Absolute Resolve Was Carried Out in Venezuela
Starmer Welcomes End of Maduro Era While Stressing International Law and UK Non-Involvement
Korean Beauty Turns Viral Skincare Into a Global Export Engine
UK Confirms Non-Involvement in U.S. Military Action Against Venezuela
UK Terror Watchdog Calls for Australian-Style Social Media Ban to Protect Teenagers
Iranian Protests Intensify as Another Revolutionary Guard Member Is Killed and Khamenei Blames the West
Delta Force Identified as Unit Behind U.S. Operation That Captured Venezuela’s President
Europe’s Luxury Sanctions Punish Russian Consumers While a Sanctions-Circumvention Industry Thrives
Berkshire’s Buffett-to-Abel Transition Tests Whether a One-Man Trust Model Can Survive as a System
Fraud in European Central Bank: Lagarde’s Hidden Pay Premium Exposes a Transparency Crisis at the European Central Bank
Trump Announces U.S. Large-Scale Strike on Venezuela, Declares President Maduro and Wife Captured
Tesla Loses EV Crown to China’s BYD After Annual Deliveries Decline in 2025
UK Manufacturing Growth Reaches 15-Month Peak as Output and Orders Improve in December
Beijing Threatened to Scrap UK–China Trade Talks After British Minister’s Taiwan Visit
Newly Released Files Reveal Tony Blair Pressured Officials Over Iraq Death Case Involving UK Soldiers
Top Stocks and Themes to Watch in 2026 as Markets Enter New Year with Fresh Momentum
No UK Curfew Ordered as Deepfake TikTok Falsely Attributes Decree to Prime Minister Starmer
Europe’s Largest Defence Groups Set to Return Nearly Five Billion Dollars to Shareholders in Twenty Twenty-Five
Abu Dhabi ‘Capital of Capital’: How Abu Dhabi Rose as a Sovereign Wealth Power
Diamonds Are Powering a New Quantum Revolution
Trump Threatens Strikes Against Iran if Nuclear Programme Is Restarted
Apple Escalates Legal Fight by Appealing £1.5 Billion UK Ruling Over App Store Fees
UK Debt Levels Sit Mid-Range Among Advanced Economies Despite Rising Pressures
UK Plans Royal Diplomacy with King Charles and Prince William to Reinvigorate Trade Talks with US
King Charles and Prince William Poised for Separate 2026 US Visits to Reinforce UK-US Trade and Diplomatic Ties
Apple Moves to Appeal UK Ruling Ordering £1.5 Billion in Customer Overcharge Damages
King Charles’s 2025 Christmas Message Tops UK Television Ratings on Christmas Day
The Battle Over the Internet Explodes: The United States Bars European Officials and Ignites a Diplomatic Crisis
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Join Royal Family at Sandringham Christmas Service
Fine Wine Investors Find Little Cheer in Third Year of Falls
UK Mortgage Rates Edge Lower as Bank of England Base Rate Cut Filters Through Lending Market
U.S. Supermarket Gives Customers Free Groceries for Christmas After Computer Glitch
Air India ‘Finds’ a Plane That Vanished 13 Years Ago
Caviar and Foie Gras? China Is Becoming a Luxury Food Powerhouse
Hong Kong Climbs to Second Globally in 2025 Tourism Rankings Behind Bangkok
From Sunniest Year on Record to Terror Plots and Sports Triumphs: The UK’s Defining Stories of 2025
Greta Thunberg Released on Bail After Arrest at London Pro-Palestinian Demonstration
Banksy Unveils New Winter Mural in London Amid Festive Season Excitement
UK Households Face Rising Financial Strain as Tax Increases Bite and Growth Loses Momentum
UK Government Approves Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedford Poised to Rival Disneyland Paris
UK Gambling Shares Slide as Traders Respond to Steep Tax Rises and Sector Uncertainty
Starmer and Trump Coordinate on Ukraine Peace Efforts in Latest Diplomatic Call
The Pilot Barricaded Himself in the Cockpit and Refused to Take Off: "We Are Not Leaving Until I Receive My Salary"
UK Fashion Label LK Bennett Pursues Accelerated Sale Amid Financial Struggles
U.S. Government Warns UK Over Free Speech in Pro-Life Campaigner Prosecution
Newly Released Files Shed Light on Jeffrey Epstein’s Extensive Links to the United Kingdom
Prince William and Prince George Volunteer Together at UK Homelessness Charity
UK Police Arrest Protesters Chanting ‘Globalise the Intifada’ as Authorities Recalibrate Free Speech Enforcement
Scambodia: The World Owes Thailand’s Military a Profound Debt of Gratitude
×