This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Council tax figures
10/02/2005
Most local authorities have now set their council tax
figures for 2005-06 in line with - or less than - their
indicative figures announced last year, Finance and Public
Service Reform Minister Tom McCabe said today.
He continued:
"The Scottish Executive is committed to improving the
delivery of public services and will work in partnership
with local government to ensure we deliver our shared
priority. And that is why we have given councils the
freedom, flexibility and funding they need.
"Scottish local authorities have received unprecedented
rises in financial support since Devolution. In 2005-06,
the average increase is 5.5 per cent and by 2008 the level
of funding local authorities receive will have risen by a
massive 55 per cent.
"These are massive sums of money - our councils will
receive more than £8 billion in grant support. But the
people of Scotland are only interested in what these vast
sums of money - their money - deliver.
"And there is no doubt this increased funding is
supporting our commitment to ensure better public
services.
"Nor do council taxpayers want to see the Executive and
local authorities arguing about the settlement they
receive.
"Council taxpayers want to see us getting on with what
we are paid to do, delivering the kind of public services
people expect and deserve - and that is exactly what the
Executive is committed to doing.
"Most local authorities have now set their council tax
figures for 2005-06 in line with - or less than - their
indicative figures announced last year. The average
increase will therefore be around 4 per cent.
"I also expect councils - and, indeed, the Executive and
the whole public sector - to deliver on Efficient
Government and ensure the best possible use of public
money. Our initiative aims to tackle public sector waste
and inefficiency - and I am confident local authorities
will play their part.
"Councils are, just like the Executive, absolutely
determined to drive as much inefficiency out of the system
as they can. Therefore, they will not confim their
indicative council tax figures for 2006-07 and 2007-08
until they are clear on the potential savings Efficient
Government can deliver."