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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Drew Sandelands

Glasgow council tax set to rise by 5% and parking charges increase - but no reduction in teacher numbers

Glasgow residents are expected to see a council tax rise of 5% as councillors meet today to plug a £60m budget gap.

Parking charges are also set to rise and a garden waste permit rolled out under plans to cover the funding shortfall.

It is understood there will be no reduction in teacher numbers or compulsory redundancies.

READ MORE: Glasgow workplace parking charge among 'long term funding solutions' city needs, claim Greens

City treasurer Ricky Bell, SNP, will present his budget in the city chambers at 11am — and no alternative options are expected to be proposed by opposition groups.

Labour and the Tories have both confirmed they won’t present a budget plan, instead demanding more money from the Scottish Government.

The Greens, who hadn’t seen the SNP’s plans, said last night that they wouldn’t support “a budget that cuts statutory services”.

It is understood extra money for pay awards — potentially £11.5m for teachers — provided by the Scottish Government could bring the gap down from £60m.

A 5% council tax rise would raise around an extra £12m for the council.

Cllr Ruairi Kelly, SNP, said: “Today will be a stark reminder that Glasgow narrowly avoided disaster in May last year as the potential consequences of Labour’s actions become clear.

“To accuse them of student politics would be an insult to students, this is the behaviour of toddlers. Make a mess, refuse to participate in the clean up, throw a tantrum.

“We will once again show that their leaks and scare stories would only become reality if individuals such as themselves, lacking skill and imagination, were to take charge of our city again.”

Glasgow Labour leader George Redmond expressed his “huge disappointment” last night as the SNP and Greens had not responded to his party’s request for support for three pledges.

They wanted the Scottish Government to ensure; protecting of IJB [health and social care] budgets to ensure statutory services aren’t breached, money to support schools and a sustained and maintained resources to protect council services.

Cllr Redmond said: “We have asked Glasgow Parliamentarians to assure that these fundamental basics will be protected but all we have received is holding emails from the SNP and sole Green MSPs.

“The SNP and Greens are sitting in coalition and have handed Glasgow these cuts down. It is simply unsustainable and the Glasgow Labour Group have said enough is enough.”

Glasgow Greens co-leader Jon Molyneux said his group wanted to see long-term funding solutions, including a workplace parking levy, congestion charge and land value tax.

He said: “We’ve been clear throughout this week that we’re really concerned with the settlement and the effect of Westminster austerity on the Scottish Government, which means we’ve got a settlement that is not enough to meet the needs of the city.

“For us it’s about long-term fixes for these issues and that’s really about the council’s ability to raise more revenue.”

Bailie Elaine Gallagher, Greens, added: “It’s clear that local authorities need the powers to raise more of their funding themselves, and not be so beholden to Westminster via Holyrood.

“There are many routes to raising more money for local government, and the Greens have proposed a raft of them, land value tax among them.”

She said it was “a more progressive funding source than council tax” on “the undeveloped value of the land, and paid by the landowner”.

“Better than non-domestic rates, which are waived if the land is derelict or if a building is out of use, it pushes the landowners to bring the land into productive use but it doesn’t penalise less profitable businesses or other uses.”

It would “act against the property speculation which drives housing and property price bubbles”, she added.

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