Saturday February 22nd 2025
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A Hawick councillor has admitted that go-ahead for a 10 per cent Council Tax rise in the Borders was a “bitter pill to swallow”.
Amid cross-party support at a meeting of Scottish Borders Council this week all but one elected member agreed to the hike in an attempt to maintain council services in the face of a challenging economic climate.
One of those who voted in favour was Hawick & Denholm’s independent councillor Stuart Marshall.
But as he told fellow members he did so with some reluctance.
Councillor Marshall said: “I’m sure most of you will know my view around raising Council Tax by 10 per cent, and for those that don’t be assured that it is not something that lay very easily at all with me.
“I still find it quite a bitter pill to swallow, and why shouldn’t I, especially as my ward of Hawick & Denholm has the highest child poverty figures in the region and fuel poverty has doubled in a year.
“Many of those that I represent are facing tough times and supporting raising Council Tax is never easy for me.
“But I am very confident that this council has taken very seriously the sheer scale of the financial issues and the challenges that have been presented to us when trying to fill a very large financial hole, with employee National Insurance contributions clearly crippling businesses and local authorities across the land.
“The consequence of this will obliviously create even more pressure trying to recruit and create job opportunities across this region, this coupled with years of underfunding has left this authority with very tough decisions to make.”
Mr Marshall said hope was also on the horizon for his town with a new care village and high school in the pipeline.
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