Watchdog says councils are charging more for services

Local authorities are charging more for services such as social care and parking amid pressure from falling Scottish Government grants, the council-tax freeze and an ageing population, the public spending watchdog has found.

The Accounts Commission has called for greater transparency in fees for services not paid for by taxation, which account for a rising proportion of councils’ income.

The majority of fees are taken from social work clients, particularly elderly users of services such as home care, meals on wheels and emergency alarms.

Social work accounts for a quarter of fee income and demand for services is set to rise as the population of over-75s is predicted to double in the next 20 years.

Scottish Government funding to local authorities has fallen by about 2.2% this year and councils are predicting “increasing funding gaps”, according to the Commission.

Council-tax income has also been falling since the tax was frozen by the government in 2007, prompting an immediate hike in other council fees.

Fee income jumped from £1.1 billion in 2006/07 to £1.3 billion last year while council tax income has fallen from about £2.5 billion to £2.3 billion.