The leader of Angus Council has hit back at critics over the local authority’s budget plans for the next three years.
SNP administration leader Iain Gaul has laid out the challenges ahead for Angus Council, as it prepares to publish its budget for the next three years this month.
Scottish Government Finance Secretary John Swinney previously announced that the county’s budget will be reduced by £6.4 million this year, from £203.7m last year to £197.3m.
Mr Gaul and finance convener Alex King spoke about the council’s task in the context of the local government settlement and its own rolling budget.
A rival budget prepared by several non-administration councillors had sought to impose a “modest” council tax increase, but this was “torpedoed” when it emerged the council would be hit by the withdrawal of £8m in Scottish Government funding if that were to happen.
But Mr Gaul said the notion of locally increasing the tax to defend against a decreased Scottish Government settlement is a “myth that’s been perpetuated by lots of people”.
“The council tax has been fully funded for Angus Council,” he said.
“We’ve known since 2011 there would be a council tax freeze this year, because it was in the Scottish Government manifesto. We’ve all known what was coming, and if councils aren’t taking that into account when they’re doing their sums, that’s their problem.
“Personally, I think all this brouhaha (over council tax increases) is down to politics and the fact there’s an election coming.”
Referring to Moray Council’s now-shelved plans to increase its tax in the face of its £11.9m deficit, Mr Gaul added: “Nobody is going to raise the council tax by 18-plus per cent the people wouldn’t stand for it.”
Mr King said that an additional £1 of council tax on a property would raise only £44,050, and even one additional bid for investment at £3.5m would cost £200 per property.
Angus Council agreed a budget for 2015/16 which contained £5.6m of savings despite opposition from a number of non-administration members. A further £6.8m of savings are expected in 2016/17.