Moray council tax up 10% and in Shetland by 7.3%

Councillors in Moray have given the go ahead to a double-digit council tax rise.

The 10% increase had been recommended by officials ahead of the budget meeting in Elgin.

Members of the authority voted 16-7 in favour of the proposals, which included £4.5m of savings, most of which had already been agreed. It means residents in a band D property will see their bill increase to just over £1,731.

Meanwhile, council tax in Shetland is to rise by 7.3%.

Labour councillors in Moray also proposed a 10% increase, while the largest opposition group, the SNP, wanted the rise to be pegged at 9.3% which it said would save residents about £2m over two years.

A 10% council tax rise was recommended by officials, who warned that a 1% drop in that figure would equate to cuts of a further £575,000.

The SNP group proposed a slightly lower rise - as well as increasing income by using the council's powers to impose a levy on second homes and empty properties.

In their defeated amendment Labour councillors also argued for a 10% rise and called for a cut for parking charges in Elgin town centre as well as a new civic pride fund to help clean up Moray's streets.

They said that could have been paid for by cutting councillors' expenses.

Grant Falconer said it was "not great" to hear the news about a 10% rise in Moray council tax bills.

"It's a bit of an outrage with the cost of living at the moment," he said.

"It's another thing you are going to have to fork out money for. It's far too much considering what you pay already for council tax."

Ann Durkin, from Findochty, said the 10% was an "awful lot to pay".

She added: "Potholes are just an absolute nightmare. Bin collections as well.

"Just look at the town, look at all the shops that are shut. I wouldn't want to be paying 10% and not get anything better for it."

Another Moray resident, Ian Gray, said the local authority was facing challenges.

"I am not happy about paying the extra money but there is not much we can really do about it," he said.

"Their hands are tied by the Scottish government due to under funding over the last 15 years with the (council tax) freeze.

He added: "They've been cutting back on everything. You can tell by the roads. Everything is a mess. It needs cleaning up."

Shetland Council leader Emma Macdonald had proposed a rise of 5.3%, but lost the vote there by 13 to four.

Instead members backed deputy leader Gary Robinson who argued the island authority needed to work towards a more balanced budget.

Council leaders said the 7.3% increase was one of the lowest rates of council tax in Scotland.

Last month, the Scottish government said its Budget delivered record funding of almost £15.7bn for local authorities, a real terms increase of 2%.