Policy Area
Communities & Local Government
How is the SNP supporting Scotland’s island communities?
The SNP Scottish Government has worked with the ‘Our Islands, Our Future’ campaign and the Islands Strategic Group to develop proposals that meet the unique needs of Scotland’s islands. This work has led to the introduction of an Islands Bill to empower our island communities and to support economic growth. The measures in the Bill…
What will the Draft Budget mean for council funding?
The SNP Scottish Government’s Draft Budget will protect local government spending by delivering a total core funding package of £10.5 billion for local services, a £94.2 million increase from last year. By allocating £179 million to local authorities through the Attainment Scotland Fund we will reduce pressure on education, and the transfer of £355 million…
How are the SNP devolving powers to local communities?
We believe the best people to decide the future of our communities are the people who live in those communities. We’ll consult on and introduce new legislation to decentralise local authority functions, budgets and democratic oversight to local communities. We will also give people much more control over how public money is spent in their…
Will revaluation of properties be carried out?
The changes the SNP have introduced are balanced and reasonable. The Commission warned against making sudden, extreme changes and a revaluation would have meant significant changes for some people who couldn’t afford them.
Will you introduce a Local Income Tax?
Our package of reforms include changes to the present Council Tax system from next year that will make it fairer, while protecting people on less than the median income.
Will the Council Tax freeze be lifted?
From April 2017, the Council Tax freeze will be lifted. Local authorities will be able to increase Council Tax by a maximum of 3 per cent a year, which could generate an additional £70 million. This will ensure we do not return to the sky high annual tax hikes we saw in the past. In the years before the SNP took office, Council Tax had risen by 60 per cent, with many people paying more in Council Tax than they were in rent or mortgage.
What do the SNP’s reforms to Council Tax mean?
The SNP are committed to a tax system that is proportionate to people’s ability to pay. That’s why our plans will ensure those living in lower-band properties A to D – at least 75 per cent of all households in Scotland – will pay the same, or even less, than they do today in Council Tax.
What are the SNP Scottish Government doing to support rural Scotland?
The SNP Scottish Government established the Rural Parliament in 2014 to ensure that the needs of rural communities were considered, debated and acted upon. The Scottish Parliament has also passed the Community Empowerment Act which requires public bodies to consider how to engage with local communities.
How are the SNP using the Community Empowerment Act to encourage businesses locally?
The SNP Government are using powers under the Community Empowerment Act to allow councils to reduce business rates, giving them an opportunity to tailor rates to their local area. Councils will also be able to retain all the business rates they collect. With this new flexibility councils will be able to use their local knowledge…
Has the SNP funded the Council Tax freeze?
Analysis from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) has shown that the Council Tax freeze has been more than fully funded by the SNP Government. In fact the research goes so far as to say that the Council Tax freeze has been overfunded. We have kept our promise to freeze the council tax in every budget…