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Original poster

Oh Jesus. They're freezing the council tax again.

60 replies

Rainbowshit · 17/10/2023 19:13

It went so well last time. What are they thinking?!?!

I guess we can except a repeat of last time with massive hikes at some point in the future rather than a steady increase that's easier for folk to absorb. 🙈

OP posts:
BigBoysDontCry · 20/10/2023 09:03

gawditswindy · 20/10/2023 08:56

Surely a small rise across the board is better than either a) nothing or b) hammering those in band e or above. Most people could stretch to £10/20 a month.

Exactly. The last time we had this I worked out that as my council has c40k households, even £1 a month per household generates nearly half a million pounds. I know in today's terms that's not much but at the time they were looking to cancel a lot of small services that cost under £50k a year to provide but that were hugely beneficial to their users.

I'm not currently a large council services user but was when the DC were young and might be again when elderly. We need services to make society function for all.

annabelindajane · 20/10/2023 12:34

What made me “laugh” was the fact they hadnt decided how they were going to pay for it . They have plumbed new depths and now considering borrowing on the Bond market which is unlikely to be underwritten by Uk government
quite rightly so when the SNP have proved so fiscally incompetent .

They who always said they couldn’t borrow on the international markets like the big boys . They have always known this -

BigBoysDontCry · 20/10/2023 13:05

They are an absolute joke and it's not them who will suffer is it? As always it will be the vulnerable people reliant on services and the ordinary people with limited resources that bear the brunt.

I mean during the strikes it was all "take your rubbish to the tip if it's not collected". It's really easy to do that if you have disabilities or young kids or whatever and you don't have a car....

MyHornCanPierceTheSky · 20/10/2023 14:08

We get the bare minimum of service from our local authority, they've shut our activity centre, parks in disrepair, roads and pavements are in shit state, closed holiday clubs in covid and have said they won't reinstate. 'No money'
However go to the areas around the town centre and there's money to change flower beds every season, money to upgrade playareas, multiple holiday clubs, money for painting and cleaning blocks of flats. I don't trust them as far as I could throw them!

Vilepoliticians · 20/10/2023 23:00

There seems to be a lot if commentators saying on Twitter ‘why are Labour moaning about a council tax freeze when Labour wanted to do it themselves?’. Labour would actually have thought about how to find the cash to fund the freeze, rather than just announcing the policy first then realising that services would have to be slashed afterwards. He hadn’t even discussed this policy with anyone before blurting it out. It’s like being governed by a 5 year old. So ludicrously thick!

Vilepoliticians · 20/10/2023 23:02

Borrowing on the bond market would be hilarious. What sort of coupon interest would you require in order to lend your money to the Scottish government? It would perhaps open people’s eyes to the sort of punitive cost borrowing to fund their deficit should Scotland ever go independent.

SaffronSpice · 20/10/2023 23:14

Vilepoliticians · 20/10/2023 23:00

There seems to be a lot if commentators saying on Twitter ‘why are Labour moaning about a council tax freeze when Labour wanted to do it themselves?’. Labour would actually have thought about how to find the cash to fund the freeze, rather than just announcing the policy first then realising that services would have to be slashed afterwards. He hadn’t even discussed this policy with anyone before blurting it out. It’s like being governed by a 5 year old. So ludicrously thick!

You’d be lucky!

annabelindajane · 21/10/2023 12:50

Humza and the majority of his seriously out of their depth merry mob have shown us all how easy it is without any talent or skill to reach political office in Holyrood .
Progressive politics indeed .

Vettrianofan · 22/10/2023 07:37

I don't live in band E or above property so no idea on my views on this. Hard to come up with a solution to appease all people.

Vettrianofan · 22/10/2023 07:39

I agree with a Pp, there always seems to be a budget available for gardening in the council area🧐

Vilepoliticians · 22/10/2023 15:01

Vettrianofan · 22/10/2023 07:39

I agree with a Pp, there always seems to be a budget available for gardening in the council area🧐

And there always seem to be at least 3 to a council van when it comes to landscaping, and they seem to spend a lot of time sat in the van doing nothing.

backtowinter · 22/10/2023 16:00

Ours spends nothing on landscaping and gets nothing but moans

Any gardening is usually done by community service people

Heyhoherewegoagain · 22/10/2023 17:58

Vettrianofan · 22/10/2023 07:39

I agree with a Pp, there always seems to be a budget available for gardening in the council area🧐

Not in my (snp🙄) city…they’re constantly cutting back under the auspices of “rewilding for the bees and butterflies”

Vettrianofan · 22/10/2023 20:10

Vilepoliticians · 22/10/2023 15:01

And there always seem to be at least 3 to a council van when it comes to landscaping, and they seem to spend a lot of time sat in the van doing nothing.

Show quote history

Yep I have noticed that as well 😂

TooOldForThisNonsense · 22/10/2023 20:21

gawditswindy · 20/10/2023 08:56

Surely a small rise across the board is better than either a) nothing or b) hammering those in band e or above. Most people could stretch to £10/20 a month.

I am happy to pay but the bandings seem so outdated and arbitrary. I know people in bigger and pricier houses than me who are Band D and below.

SaffronSpice · 22/10/2023 20:28

backtowinter · 22/10/2023 16:00

Ours spends nothing on landscaping and gets nothing but moans

Any gardening is usually done by community service people

Same, except the gardening is often done by volunteer community groups rather than community service.

MyGooseisTotallyLoose · 22/10/2023 20:52

TooOldForThisNonsense · 22/10/2023 20:21

I am happy to pay but the bandings seem so outdated and arbitrary. I know people in bigger and pricier houses than me who are Band D and below.

Show quote history

I've always been happy to pay however the banding they (and many others) want to shoulder the increases are the ones who have (well where we are) sod all services and general 'things' provided by the council. Where does the money actually go?!

Theresit · 22/10/2023 23:14

You can usually find the council’s income and expenditure on their website.

Heyhoherewegoagain · 23/10/2023 13:05

It’ll be interesting to see how this weekend’s carnage can be paid for with reduced council tax income next year!

SaffronSpice · 23/10/2023 14:26

Heyhoherewegoagain · 23/10/2023 13:05

It’ll be interesting to see how this weekend’s carnage can be paid for with reduced council tax income next year!

It’s ok. It wasn’t in the central belt so we can pretend it didn’t happen.

Heyhoherewegoagain · 23/10/2023 14:44

SaffronSpice · 23/10/2023 14:26

It’s ok. It wasn’t in the central belt so we can pretend it didn’t happen.

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Oh course-how could I forget!

Apparently Useless is visiting Brechin today -as if the people who live there don’t have enough on their plates!

SaffronSpice · 23/10/2023 14:49

Heyhoherewegoagain · 23/10/2023 14:44

Oh course-how could I forget!

Apparently Useless is visiting Brechin today -as if the people who live there don’t have enough on their plates!

Show quote history

I caught that in the news. Apparently it “warmed his heart to see the community coming together”.

SaffronSpice · 23/10/2023 14:51

Currently nearly all the Traffic that usually goes up the A90 to Aberdeen and beyond is going through Brechin as the A90 has been closed since Thursday.

HeadNorth · 23/10/2023 14:54

Where does the money actually go?! The Local Authority has a statutory responsibility for education and care, so that budget has to be ringfenced - and just keeps going up, particularly the cost of care. So everything else has to be cut to the absolute bone. I am incredulous they would not permit even a small percentage increase - it is setting LA's up to fail.

Theresit · 23/10/2023 15:49

HeadNorth · 23/10/2023 14:54

Where does the money actually go?! The Local Authority has a statutory responsibility for education and care, so that budget has to be ringfenced - and just keeps going up, particularly the cost of care. So everything else has to be cut to the absolute bone. I am incredulous they would not permit even a small percentage increase - it is setting LA's up to fail.

Which is ideal if the grand plan is to centralise everything….

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