North Lanarkshire residents hit with five per cent council tax rise

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Council tax for North Lanarkshire residents will increase by five per cent from April 1.The rise was agreed at this afternoon’s annual budget-setting meeting and means payment bands for householders will range from £880.52 for band A to £3235.93 in band H for 2023-2024.Councillors are currently agreeing the local authority’s finances for the year ahead - and started the process facing a £28 million shortfall to balance the books for the 12 months ahead.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android The five per cent council tax increase – taking the area’s band D figure to £1320.78 - was proposed by the Labour administration and unanimously agreed by councillors; with one per cent of the funds to be allocated to the authority’s community investment projects.Rental costs for council tenants will also increase by five per cent, with housing convener Heather Brannan-McVey noting that it would raise £7.1m in the year ahead.North Lanarkshire’s household rates have risen in every year but one since a decade-long national freeze on council tax ended five years ago, with the five per cent increase being the highest of those to date.It increased by three per cent in 2018, 2019 and 2022 and by the maximum permissible 4.84 per cent in 2020, but was frozen two years ago as part of the authority’s Covid recovery budget.The