The funding of local government has been a difficult issue for political parties. At best proposals have been sticking plaster solutions because change is viewed as being politically challenging. However, we simply cannot go on as we are with short-term fixes that damage services and undermine local democratic accountability.
The council tax freeze was supposed to be a temporary measure until a new tax was introduced. We have now been through an economic recession and 8 years of budget cuts but are no nearer a fair tax for local government. There needs to be an agreement that this Commission leads to action. We cannot afford to see another report end up like “A Fairer Way: Report by the Local Government Finance Committee 2007” sitting on shelves gathering dust. We need to develop a new consensus that provides a long-term solution… https://unison-scotland.org/wp-content/uploads/CommissionforLocalTaxReform_UNISONScotlandEvidence_June2015-1.pdf