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COURIER OPINION: Dundee leaders must make every council tax penny count

photo shows a council worker collecting waste in a Dundee housing estate.
A 3% council tax rise is unlikely to be enough to prevent cuts to services in Dundee. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson.

The pressures on household budgets have been widely reported as the cost of living crisis deepens.

And now residents in Dundee are being warned to brace themselves ahead of additional demands on their finances.

New papers show council tax in the city could rise by at least 3% next year.

It’s an unwelcome enough prospect with cash in short supply.

But fees and charges for council services, such as burials and waste collections, could also increase as civic leaders grapple with how to make £45 million in savings over the next four years.

image shows dundee council leader john alexander, next to a council tax bill
Dundee City Council is asking for views on its spending priorities amid warnings council tax will rise.

The public are being asked to have a say on the plans. And it is to be hoped that residents’ voices will be heard when spending plans are finalised.

But no one is denying that difficult decisions will have to be made in the months to come. And for every service guaranteed, it’s likely sacrifices will have to be made elsewhere.

Dundee council tax dilemmas will be mirrored elsewhere

It’s Dundee City Council which is in the spotlight today.

But residents in Angus, Fife and Perth and Kinross are unlikely to find themselves in the land of milk and honey when the time comes to to set their budgets.

As always, choices will have to be made about what to prioritise and where to cut.

But the process feels more intense in the current economic climate; the pressure on councils more acute.

photo shows Dundee House sign above entrance to Dundee City Council HQ.
Dundee City Council HQ.

The most vulnerable members of society are already struggling as the cost of living crisis bites.

Many will be depending on public services more than ever, not for comforts but for their survival.

Councils have a duty to eradicate waste, to think big, and to ensure every penny they spend delivers the greatest return for the public purse.

The responsibility has never been greater.

And all eyes will be on politicians across Dundee, Tayside and Fife as the latest round of budget-setting gets under way.

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