Orkney Islands residents have been hit with Scotland’s largest council tax increase – as councillors voted to give themselves a hefty pay rise.
A whopping 15% increase is to be imposed following a meeting on Tuesday at which an amendment for a lower 11% council tax increase was defeated.
Councillors voted by 15 to 6 in favour of the 15% proposal at a meeting of the full Orkney Islands Council.
A policy and resources committee meeting on February 25 had voted 11 to 10 to increase council tax.
Clackmannanshire Council previously held the record for the highest council tax increase when it agreed to impose a 13% rise from April 1.
Pay rise for councillors and senior staff
Councillors in Orkney also agreed to implement a pay increase of 22% from next month as part of changes across the country agreed by the Scottish Government.
The leader of the council, Heather Woodbridge, can now be paid up to £47,363, with the civic head paid £35,523.
As of April 1, 2023, the basic annual pay for councillors was set at £21,345, but today’s decision will see this figure jump to £25,982.
Salaries are discretionary and decided at a local level by the council leadership.
Two councillors wanted a 20% increase
Matters were not a foregone conclusion.
A handful of councillors told the meeting they wanted to opt for a lower council tax increase of 11%.
And it was not the only proposal, as two councillors proposed a larger 20% increase.
Here’s how the 15% increase will affect you.
For someone in a Band D property, that would mean paying an extra £3.95 a week.
A council spokesperson said: “This will bring the cost for a Band D property to £1,574.60 per year.”
This figure does not include water or wastewater charges.
The Scottish average Band D council tax figure for 2024/25 was £1,421.
The spokesperson added that the increase will “protect services and bring Orkney’s council tax rate closer to the national average”.
Council services to increase by 10%
It does not end there, as councillors voted to increase many service charges from April 1.
Staff have been asked to review and increase existing service charges by a minimum of 10% from that date, where possible.
Councillors have, however, excluded the following services from the 10% increase:
- Harbour charges
- Ferry fares
- Car park and electric vehicle charges
- Residential care and home care
- Very Sheltered Housing
- Supported Accommodation
- Meals at Home service
- Licensing fees
- Ship sanitation certification
- Marriage/Civil Partnership fees
- Roads inspection fees
- Trade waste charges
- Homelessness rents
- Selected quarry product sales
What other costs are going up in Orkney?
1. Council house rents
Council house tenants have been told that rents are going up by 4% in 2025/26, with the change coming in to force on from April 1.
There will be a further 4% increase in 2026/27 and 2% the following year.
In February 2024, Orkney Islands Council said: “The average council house rent in Orkney in the financial year 2023/24 is £88.25.
“This compares to an average council house rent of £81.03 in Scotland.”
The cost for renting a two-bed council house in Aberdeen City from the council was £82.58 as of March 31, 2024.
2. Historical records
Checking historical records currently costs £15 per hour, but with the 10% fee increase, that will rise to £16.50.
It costs £15 an hour to check records at Glasgow Genealogy Centre.
3. Burial services
The cost of island burials is set to rise, with existing charges likely to be subject to the 10% increase.
This means:
- Excavation of a grave: previously £746, increasing to £820.60
- Excavation of a grave for a casket: previously £216, increasing to £237.60
- Sale of lairs where double-depth interment is possible: previously £865, increasing to £951
- Single-depth interment lairs: previously £587, increasing to £645.70
- Permit to erect a memorial on a lair in an Orkney Islands Council-managed burial ground: previously £59, increasing to £64.90
The cost for a burial in Stirling in 2024 is £1,367, in the Western Isles, a burial is £525.
5. Special uplifts
For Orkney Islands Council to collect up to five items as part of a domestic special collection scheme, it currently costs £69.50 for the mainland and linked south islands.
If the 10% increase applies, the cost will rise to £76.45.
For collections of more than six items, up to a full load, the cost will increase from £292 to £321.20.
5. Swimming pool sessions
If a 10% rise applies to swimming sessions in Stromness and Kirkwall, the cost of an adult swim will increase from £5.75 to £6.32.
Pool hire for one hour with turbulence ropes and scaffolding at Stromness will rise to £172.37.
West Dumbarton’s swimming sessions are £5.40.
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