The opposition on Aberdeenshire Council – which includes me – will not be supporting the SNP/Labour plans to increase council tax across the board.

Here is a statement our group gave to the press tonight:

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The SNP-led administration of Aberdeenshire Council are proposing to put up council tax by 2.5% when they set their budget next Thursday.

The Alliance Opposition Group will be putting forward an alternative budget when the council meets at Woodhill House.

Alliance and Conservative group Leader Cllr Jim Gifford commented: “We are working on the same figures as the SNP Administration but are taking a different approach to balancing the books which we will outline next week. We will not putting be council tax up across the board because we have managed to balance the budget without putting this extra burden on our residents. We know the SNP Scottish Government has already imposed a hefty council tax rise on all houses in bands E-H, some 42% of houses in Aberdeenshire, so we do not think it fair to ask people to pay even more money.”

Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Karen Clark added: “We think there are other ways of making the council budget work and we just don’t see why we should ask our residents to pay more than they have to when times are tough in the north east.  Our businesses are being hit hard by the SNP’s massive rates hike, our residents are struggling with the downturn in the economy so we have to stand up for our residents who do not need more misery piled upon them.”

Independent group co-ordinator Cllr Norman Smith also said: “Even at this stage, we do not know the full details of the settlement and are still very much in the dark as to how exactly how much money we will actually have to spend next year. Derek Mackay is still doing last minute, back-room deals with the Greens and we are having to set a budget when we have very little confidence in the figures we’re being given. This is no way to run the finances of our councils.”

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