Domestic bills for householders in North Lanarkshire for 2022-2023 have been confirmed and will range from £1157.55 to £4038.69.
Council tax is going up by three per cent while Scottish Water’s charges, collected alongside payments to the local authority, are increasing by 4.2 per cent.
It means the total bills for residents from April 1 will range from £1157.55 for band A properties to £1736.32 for band D and £4038.69 for band H.
The combined council tax and water charges for properties in North Lanarkshire's four lowest bands will be – A: £1157.55; B: £1350.47; C: £1543.40; and D: £1736.32.
All householders in bands A to D are to receive a rebate of £150 from the Scottish Government, as will all those receiving a council tax reduction in a measure intended to help with the growing cost of living crisis as energy bills soar and national insurance also increasing.
North Lanarkshire officials received Holyrood guidance on the council tax support last week and say they aim to how it will be distributed “very soon” after investigating the most suitable payment options to householders, such as issuing the funds directly to recipients or adding it as a credit to council tax accounts.
Household bills for residents in the area's remaining four council tax bands will be – E: £2237.47; F: £2735.14; G: £3260.75; and H: £4038.69.
Council leader Jim Logue admitted: “There’s an anomaly between the cost of living and putting up council tax, but if we’d frozen it then that would take £4.8 million out of the one-off funding we had to deliver projects for the community this year – and you could then be talking about a six per cent increase next year.”
SNP members had also proposed the same three per cent rise as the Labour administration in their alternative budget, which both parties described as “below inflation,” while the Conservatives had proposed two per cent and also suggested using one-off funding to cover the cost in full with a rebate for all householders for 12 months.
Pensioners in North Lanarkshire will also receive grants towards gas and electricity costs during the year ahead after £475,000 was allocated in the 2022-2023 budget to provide two payments of £50 each to those receiving pension credit.
A further £500,000 has been set aside for additional community crisis grants in the year ahead to supplement the Scottish welfare fund resources allocated to the authority.
Finance convener Bob Burrows called his group’s plans a “cost of living budget” and said: “We recognise this crisis will hit every resident in North Lanarkshire – it’s the number one issue on the doorstep.”
Councillor Logue agreed: “It’s the biggest thing which people are very concerned about just now – people are raising this with members and it’s right that we focus on this need and prioritise it as this will affect every resident in North Lanarkshire, particularly the most vulnerable.
“Everyone is very concerned about fuel poverty and the cost increases coming in, and we felt we had to make provision for that. A lot more people are articulating concerns about choosing between heating or eating and starting to turn energy use off.
“It isn’t a core responsibility of the council but we have to do something about it to assist residents. We’re using the limited funding we have to target support for pensioners and are working on details just now of who’s eligible for that to start from April.”
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