Council Tax Freeze On The Cards

Falkirk Council SNP Depute Leader, Tom Coleman, has called on leaders of the Labour / Conservative Administration within Falkirk Council to come clean on whether or not they intend to freeze council tax when Falkirk Council sets its budget for 2008/09 on 13 February.

With inflation running at 2.1% Falkirk Council has received a massive 6.4% increase in funding. In addition if Falkirk Council agrees to freeze council tax bills for hard pressed council taxpayers they will receive a further £1.83m in funding, the equivalent of a 3.2% increase in council tax income.

So far leaders of the Labour / Tory coalition in Falkirk Council have remained tight lipped over whether they intend to follow SNP policy of freezing the unpopular tax.

Leaks from within the divided Administration have confirmed that there will be a freeze as the budget proposals including a freeze on tax are believed to have been approved at an internal meeting of the Administration, all be it by a reported margin of two votes.

Said Mr Coleman,

“For the first time in nine years local council funding has increased in terms of the overall spend of the government.

A settlement figure of three times the rate of inflation is a fantastic deal for Falkirk Council and should not only lead to the freezing of council tax bills for the people of Falkirk district but also for significant further investment in council services.

Despite this there is an embarrassing malaise within the Labour / Tory Administration that has resulted a paralysis in both information and policy from within.

There is a real opportunity to invest in new services after years of cut backs from central government. However, we need a council Administration that doesn’t give the impression of rabbits caught in the headlights.”

Grants for capital work such as investment in such as school buildings and other public buildings is to increase by a staggering 13%, six times the rate of inflation.

This was welcomes by Councillor Coleman, architect of the SNP’s £100m schools replacement programme.

“Under the previous Labour / Liberal Executive local authorities were starved of investment as the whole direction of their administration was to force public authorities such as local councils and Health Authorities to look to the private sector for investment.

Now we are seeing the results of an SNP switch to the policy of promoting the public sector in a more positive fashion.”