Latest news with #LauraMurtagh
Daily Record
27-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Councillor claims Falkirk's 15.6% council tax rise could have been lower
Councillor Laura Murtagh says it feels like the main political parties are saying 'It's ma ba' and you're no playing!' A Falkirk councillor has said that the district's massive council tax rise "might not have been so high" if Independent councillors had been part of a group that helps set the council's budget. Councillor Laura Murtagh, whose budget proposing a 15.6 per cent rise in council tax to save vital services, told a meeting of Falkirk Council yesterday (Thursday) that Independent members should have been given an earlier say in discussions. She was proposing that members who are not in the main political parties be given a place on the council's Financial Strategy Group - which discusses how the council can make enough savings to allow it to set a budget - as well as an invitation to discussions when group leaders are involved. Her motion, however, was not backed by any of the three main parties which led Cllr Murtagh to comment: "What is being asked for is not in any way unreasonable. "To be a bit tongue-in-cheek, it kind of feels a bit like, 'It's ma ba', it's ma rules and yous arnae playing'." She told the meeting: "It's just maths, never mind politics, to acknowledge that no single party or Independents can pass a budget by themselves. "Excluding members who can make an important and effective contribution to that process is totally counter-productive - it's also offensive and democratically reprehensible." She pointed out that the budget that finally won enough support to pass in February was put forward by Independents. She said: "Could that budget have been better? Absolutely! But had more open discussion been available and included those who ultimately went on to develop the successful budget, we might have been able to come to a better compromise. "We might have been able to have a lower council tax! "We certainly would have cost the council less money in terms of officer time frustration, repetition and indeed saved some of our citizens the anxiety and pain of worrying that some of our services were going to be cut." The SNP administration, Labour and Conservative groups countered Cllr Murtagh's motion with an amendment which pointed out that Falkirk Council's standing orders define a main opposition group as having at least ten per cent of council membership (three councillors). The winning amendment suggests that any changes should be considered through an ongoing Collaborative Leadership review, "which includes a number of recommendations" and a phased action plan. They also say that Independent members all currently have the opportunity to meet with council officials, including the Chief Finance Officer. In the meantime, members agreed, representation should remain unchanged. Baillie James Kerr proposed the three main parties' joint motion, saying that "80 per cent of the council agreed on the amendment." "I believe that the ongoing review of the Collaborative Leadership should take its course and we should then have a debate to see if that's the way we continue forward," he said. Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn said Cllr Murtagh's "impassioned speech" demonstrated some of the reasons "why we shouldn't be making a decision on this today", as she had talked about having less restrictions and no party structures. "By going through the collaborative leadership process we can have a better understanding of how the Independents could interact constructively within the remit of the financial strategy group," she said. There are currently six councillors who are not members of mainstream political parties: two are members of the Non-Aligned Independents Group, three are Independent and one is a Reform councillor. The Labour group leader Cllr Anne Hannah said she does have some concerns that "such a large portion of councillors are not actually involved in the process", but she said she would prefer change to be implemented "in a measured manner through the Collaborative Leadership process, which is already ongoing". Councillor Brian McCabe, of the Non-Aligned Independent Group, supported Cllr Murtagh's call, saying: "Councillors find themselves repeatedly impacted by not receiving information; not having committee memberships/briefings; and therefore, not having an adequate say in the council decision-making process. " All councillors not within the Administration or a main political group (as defined under the Council's current standing orders), are regarded as Independent members, devoid of representation, unable to engage in meaningful policy discussion. "It's their ba'. And they're no for playing!"
Associated Press
27-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Colley Intelligence Recognized in Chambers Litigation Support Guide 2025
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BBC News
01-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Highest council tax hike hits home in Falkirk
Falkirk recently set Scotland's highest council tax rise at 15.6%, taking the annual bill for an average band D property to £1, budget of the council's SNP administration was defeated, with the motion of Independent councillor Laura Murtagh backed by the Labour group and other the increase, the town sits just outside the top 10 in Scotland when it comes to the actual amount householders will pay. But, now that the dust has settled on the ensuing political row, and householders are opening their new bills, how do Falkirk residents and businesses feel about it? Falkirk Foodbank sits in a quiet industrial estate a couple of miles from the town supplies 80 to 100 food parcels a month to about 150 people in providing an essential lifeline to the community, it has been broken into and targeted by thieves five times in recent Harrison Crawford is concerned about the knock-on effect of the council tax said: "We are expecting there to be a rise (in referrals) because of the increase in council tax. "The reverse side of that, as a manager, is I'm also considering that there is likely going to be a drop in donations."He said that even before the council tax rise, the centre had received three tonnes less in donations than last said: "It is worrying if we see any further drops, it means we either have to reduce the amount of food that we give, or top up the stock ourselves financially, which we already have to do with certain items.""Those working families who are maybe right at the limit, once the council tax increase comes in they might be wanting to come to us." Foodbank volunteer Anne Haldane said: "It will certainly have an impact. "I mean we're all affected by it but people on the breadline will really struggle."The council here have kept it down for a long time, so we can't expect not to see it rising, but I think the amount it's risen by in comparison with the other councils is a wee bit steep." Anne said that the council "has to find the money from somewhere" for essentials like said: "Having looked at it in a different light, I have to say if they had put it up stage by stage instead of all this at the one time, we wouldn't have felt it as much."Alastair Blackstock, chairman of the foodbank, said he felt past council freezes were a "vote catcher."He said: "It's going to target everybody but the ones it will target most are at the lower end who are unemployed or have low income."Education is the main priority and health and social work. The money should be going there to improve and increase the benefit to everyone in the area." At a nearby community centre, one working mum who did not want to be named, said her council tax had increased by £22 a agreed that an incremental increase in council tax over a number of years might have been a better said: "I have to find the money from somewhere, which is probably going to have an effect on my food shopping, because that's where it's going to come from."I just think it's a massive rise to do at one time, I understand it has to come from somewhere, but not all councils are doing the same rise as us, and they've got the same problems as us. "So, I get it and I don't." Soup kitchen coordinator Anne Thomson, 62, said she felt "penalised" by the increase, having worked since she was said she felt there was nothing to show for the hike in council tax and "doesn't bode well" for Falkirk's position as a popular commuter said: "Loads of folks commute between Glasgow and Edinburgh. "Now, because the house prices are increasing and because of the actual council tax, I would think twice, I would probably move into other areas. "I certainly wouldn't move into the town." Working a stall with his colleagues in the Howgate Shopping Centre, youth worker Ethan McLelland reflects on his recent change of 27-year-old previously rented, but recently managed to buy his own said: "A few months ago the council tax rise would have put me in a very bad situation. "I have a lot of friends who are parents who already feel that life is quite tight."It's just another thing that contributes to people being stressed and finding day-to-day living harder to deal with."I suppose with Edinburgh and Glasgow you expect the council tax to be more, but you come here expecting it to be cheaper." Local businesses are also Nicholl has owned Finnegans Cafe in Vicar Street for the last six-and-a-half said business is healthy, but any increases in people's outgoings, including council tax, will make a said: "It was quite a shock."Customers are saying they'll not be spending as much money because some have maybe got a council tax increase of up to £100, which is a big hike."People will cut costs because they won't go out as much - a lot of people come in here because it's a social thing."They live on their own and they come in here, what's going to happen then?"He said he would have expected more attention to paid to the city centre with a 15.6% increase in council said: "The streets aren't cleaned half the time, your bins only emptied every three weeks. "I would expect your refuge to be collected a lot more, council workers out cleaning."The town's a mess, it's a disgrace, especially on a Saturday or Sunday morning." Lauren Brown started her clothing business, now called Sisters and Misters, in nearby Lint Riggs in 1996 and moved into her current location in the street in daughter of a retailer, the 54-year-old single mum said she started her career when Falkirk was a "boom town."She said the council tax increase was a "slap in the face" to local said: "I was horrified. Our town centre is in decline, it's been neglected."The council go on about the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies, forgetting that they've got this fantastic town centre with the steeple, beautiful listed buildings, great independent businesses."She said her council tax has risen by £130 a said: "We've already started to say no takeaways so that affects other wee businesses in the town."Where are we meant to find this extra money? "You're going to cut back on meals out, nights out, gifts, and cut back on buying clothes and that's where it's going to hit my business."Customers have said to me, that's my takeaway - for some people it's their holidays."People can't just get the money out of thin air." A Falkirk Council spokesman said the authority understood the views of some residents towards the said: "Unfortunately after many years of being one of the lowest council taxes in Scotland, at the same time as often delivering a broader and cheaper level of services, it was necessary for Falkirk Council to increase the council tax level. "Even with the most recent rise, nearly a third of Scottish councils are still charging more than Falkirk."The spokesman pointed to a 2024 public consultation where the majority of those taking part said they would be prepared to pay more council tax to protect services and invest in new said this included a new transport hub in the town centre and a new town hall. He said: "The latest increase also enables us to invest an additional £15m to fund many different projects that will support new schools, upgrade existing school buildings, as well as improve roads, bridges, flood prevention all of which will ultimately benefit our local communities."In addition, significant investment is taking place (and planned) across many towns and villages including Falkirk with masterplans in production that will help shape their future."
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Councillor 'threatened' over record 15.6% tax rise
The councillor who introduced Scotland's biggest council tax rise this year has received violent threats over the decision. Laura Murtagh, who sits as an independent on Falkirk Council, told the BBC's Scotcast podcast she had suffered "overwhelming" online abuse since putting forward a motion for a 15.6% increase last week. Some messages said the councillor should get "a kicking" for the proposal, while other abuse came from people Ms Murtagh knows personally. However she defended the increase and said it would help protect education services in the area. Some messages have concerned the councillor so much that she has kept them, in case she needs to go to the police in future. Other comments focused on her weight and looks. Ms Murtagh told Scotcast: "I couldn't look at my emails. It was clear once the story was out that I wasn't going to be able to look at social media. "When people start saying things like you could do 'with a good kicking' or you could do with more than that – in the past there's been people saying 'we know where you live'. "Councillors are embedded in their communities and no matter how you are protected, people can access you. It's overwhelming - it's very harmful." Ms Murtagh comments came as a survey by Holyrood magazine revealed scores of female MSPs have reported receiving online abuse, including rape threats, death threats and severe misogynistic comments. More than three quarters of the MSPs who responded said the abuse had become worse after they were first elected. Despite Falkirk council being SNP-run, the SNP's own motion – which proposed a 13.7% increase – was rejected in favour of Ms Murtagh's motion. She says the difference between the two rises would be 50p a week for people in Band E properties, and felt the increased figure would help with local services. Ms Murtagh told Scotcast: "There were cuts to services [under a 13.7% rise] - really important services like early learning and child care, provisions of teachers in classes of units for autistic children – things that members of the public tell us they are really passionate about." The councillor said she was "physically sick" after putting forward the motion, and left "crying my eyes out" about it. She also revealed the abuse had affected her family and that she had urged her teenage daughter to ignore any comments she heard at school. Ms Murtagh has represented the Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst ward in Falkirk since 2017, initially as a member of the SNP. However she left the party in 2023, saying "party politics" made local decision making difficult. Councils across Scotland have introduced above-inflation rises this year, after years of the tax being frozen or capped. However local authorities have consistently argued that they needed more funding to pay for public services, such as community facilities and maintaining roads. How much is council tax going up? Why are we seeing inflation busting council tax rises?
The Guardian
06-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Council tax in Scotland to reach record high with 15% rise in some areas
Council tax costs in Scotland will hit record levels next month after local authorities agreed to raise rates by up to 15%, with some planning new levies on tourists and cruise ships. All of Scotland's 32 local authorities have announced council tax increases from April of at least 6%, with the majority raising them by about 10%, after years of successive cuts to their grant funding. Bills for people living in Falkirk will rise by 15.6% at the start of next month, taking their band D rate to £1,576.77, while islanders on Orkney face a 15% increase. Water bills in Scotland will rise too from April, by 9.9%, although 50% of households receive discounts. The Accounts Commission, a spending watchdog, warned earlier this year that Scottish local authorities faced 'severe financial pressures' because of government funding shortfalls that forced them to borrow more and eat into their reserves. The Scottish government has offered councils £1bn extra this year, but councils argue that remains insufficient. The councillor Laura Murtagh, who pushed through Falkirk's increase to bridge a £33m budget gap, said she felt 'physically ill to the pit of my stomach where we are having to make these impossible decisions'. Councils also cite the rising costs of Scotland's above-inflation public sector pay awards, the £100m cost of the Treasury's decision to increase employer national insurance contributions and the increasing costs of inflation and energy. Figures compiled by the BBC show rates will rise by 7.5% in Glasgow; by 8% in councils such as Edinburgh, East Ayrshire and Dundee; by 10% in Aberdeenshire, East Lothian, Scottish Borders and Shetland; and by 11% to 13% in Angus and Clackmannanshire. Advice Direct Scotland, which runs the debt advisory service, said these increases will push more households into 'heartbreaking' financial distress. It has been supporting approximately 2,000 people a month with council tax debts, generally of about £2,000 to £3,000. In one extreme case, a client had clocked up a debt of £15,000. John Baird, the head of debt services with Advice Direct Scotland, said: 'The looming council tax increases will heap even more pressure on individuals and families who are already struggling with rising energy bills and the cost-of-living crisis.' Several coastal councils, including Orkney and Edinburgh, are also keen to introduce a new £5 per capita levy on cruise ship passengers, after a Scottish government consultation opened earlier this month. Aberdeen council recently became the latest to join Edinburgh in pressing ahead with plans for a visitor levy on accommodation, to raise extra revenue. Council taxes in Scotland have been kept artificially low by the Scottish government's previous decisions to impose a nationwide council tax freeze or to cap annual increases, which ministers have partly funded by raising central government grants. Humza Yousaf, the former first minister, imposed a council tax freeze in October 2023 in an ill-fated attempt to attract voters after the Scottish National party's heavy defeat to Labour in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection. That led to a confrontation with Inverclyde council, which voted to raise its council tax by 8.2% last year. Ministers threatened to cut its grant; it backed down after the government gave it an extra £2.9m. Yousaf's gambit failed to prevent a rout in the 2024 general election, when the SNP lost 35 seats to Labour.
