Aberdeen’s opposition SNP group have called for the ruling Labour, Tory and Independent administration to reveal their plans for business rates relief.
The nationalists put forward a £4million package to offset the rates rises in the city after finance secretary Derek Mackay announced a 12.5% cap on offices in the city and the hospitality sector.
Now, the city’s SNP leader, Stephen Flynn, has called on the administration to “immediately outline” what support they proposed to offer local businesses and guarantee the council’s full £3m surplus will go towards rates relief.
But the Labour-led administration said last night they could not put together a package themselves until they had obtained further details from Mr Mackay.
They did not offer any relief in the budget and have said that an update will come from the council at next week’s finance committee meeting.
The new rates, which will result in some firms paying a 200% increase in their bills, will come into force in April.
Mr Flynn said: “The facts remain that there was not a penny set aside in the administration budget for business rates relief, so we are now calling for the £3million budget surplus to be ring-fenced for a business rates relief scheme.
“Labour and the Tories need to put their cards on the table now and assure businesses they won’t be walking away from them once again.”
However, finance convener, Willie Young, argued a national scheme was more appropriate.
He said: “Councillor Flynn and the SNP are once again acting, not in the best interests of Aberdeen citizens, but in the interest of the SNP Scottish Government.
“As Aberdeen Inspired, the Grampian Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have been telling us, the best solution for business is not a local scheme, but a national scheme.”