Edinburgh council tax would have to rise 23% to cancel all cuts to services

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Council tax in Edinburgh would have to rise by 20 per cent to offset a massive cuts programme, the Record can reveal.Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day said the council tax freeze planned by the Scottish Government will have to be “fully funded” if cuts are to be avoided.Humza Yousaf angered local government leaders last month when he announced a national council tax freeze.Council chiefs were kept in the dark and believe the freeze will lead to huge cuts.Funding a freeze based on an estimated 8 per cent rise across the country would cost over £400 million, but council leaders believe even more funding is required to fully offset tax rises in every part of Scotland.Figures seen by the Record show Edinburgh’s funding gap, which includes health and social care services, stands at £58.6m.It is believed the required rise in council tax to wipe out the black hole would be 20pc.Cammy Day, who leads a minority Labour administration, said: “We’ve yet to hear from the FM what support will be given to local councils like the City of Edinburgh on the surprising announcement of a potential council tax freeze."He said of the prospect of councils not determining their own increases:“Any proposals to take this democratic decision and accountability away from local councils must be fully funded, or cuts will have to be made.

Through COSLA we have written to the First Minister asking for clarity of this surprise announcement contrary to the agreement recently signed between the First Minister and local councils.”Norman Hampshire, leader of East Lothian council, has also warned the Government will need to provide a massive funding increase to fund a freeze.In a letter to the First Minister, he wrote: “The funding gap we are now facing