Islanders contact SNP councillors over council tax rise

The council tax hike is causing financial pain to island families, say the SNP Group at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar who have received many representations from the community in the last week.

The Group of councillors tried to prevent the nearly 5% increase being imposed on local households but their efforts were defeated.

Group leader, councillor Gordon Murray said: “We fought against this by pleading for the council tax not to be raised by this amount.

“Energy prices and rents are increasing and so it is so sad that the majority of councillors disagreed with the SNP group and chose to exact the maximum tax on an an already hard-hit community.”

The group made reference to the large amounts of reserves that the council could have used to mitigate the rise.

Councillor John A Maciver added: “It is disappointing that the council chose to increase council tax because it could and not because it had to.”