‘Fair’ settlement means council tax rise should be minimised – Robison

Local authorities have received a “fair” settlement in the Scottish Government’s Budget and should minimise any council tax increases, the Finance Secretary has said.

Shona Robison said councils will receive a record funding deal of more than £15 billion, which is a real terms increase of more than 2%.

She spoke to Holyrood’s Local Government Committee on Tuesday, highlighting an analysis from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Spice).

Ms Robison said: “I think the settlement, as confirmed by Spice, is a fair one. 

“One that should enable local authorities to minimise the impact on local services and indeed minimise any council tax increases.”

She said the settlement was perhaps fairer than local government had expected.

The council tax freeze imposed last year will come to an end in April.

The Finance Secretary also said she is still seeking answers from the Treasury on the compensation for the increase in employer national insurance contributions.

A number of organisations providing public services have raised concerns about the impact of the tax increase.

Ms Robison has estimated the cost to Scotland’s finances could be £700 million as a result of its bigger public sector workforce.