Stirling Council has frozen council tax rates for the year ahead.
Councillors agreed not to raise the cost of the council tax amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The council today (Thursday) agreed at its budget-setting meeting to maintain council tax at the 2020/21 rate for the next financial year (2021/22).
Convener of Stirling Council’s Finance and Economy Committee, Councillor Margaret Brisley, said: “The past year has been like nothing we’ve ever seen before and families all across the Stirling Council area have been hit hard financially.
“We have been able to make this decision thanks to extra grant funding coming from the Scottish Government which, after almost a year of Covid-19, we hope will bring some relief to those who are struggling to make ends meet.”
Cllr Alison Laurie, vice convener of Finance and Economy, added: “Council tax is a local authority’s main source of funding outside of the government grant, so the decision to freeze this essential source of income which funds our essential services was one which has to be balanced with changes to spending elsewhere.
“However, having seen the impact Covid has had on our communities and residents over the past year, we felt it was only right to try to give our citizens one less thing to worry about.
“It remains our commitment to make Stirling a place where everyone can thrive and holding Council tax at its current rate will hopefully give our residents a bit of extra breathing space in their monthly budgets.”
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Band D council tax for 2020/21 is £1,344.29.
For full details on the council's budget see Wednesday's Stirling Observer.
