North Ayrshire Labour has slammed the SNP government’s budget as one that will ‘rip the heart out of communities’.
They claim last week’s draft budget leaves a budget blackhole of around £17m in North Ayrshire Council’s finances for 2018/19 – the biggest single year deficit in the local authorities history.
Labour had previously revealed that the Scottish government directly controls 83 per cent of the council’s budget. The only tax power available to councillors is to raise the Council Tax but the SNP Government have again announced a cap on increases of three per cent. A three per cent increase in Council Tax would only raise £1.7m in North Ayrshire - a 10th of the council’s financial blackhole.