Friday November 7th 2025
New housing estates like this one at Letham Mains in Haddington have grown at pace in recent years
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Council tax bills for some East Lothian residents ‘could double’ under proposed Government reforms, it is being claimed, after property values increased by 500 per cent over the last 30 years.
The Scottish Government has launched a public consultation on proposals to change the current band system used to determine household council tax bills with options including creating a new 14 tier of costs to cover updated property values.
Its consultation document argues the current banding system is outdated because it is based on the value of houses in 1991 and needs to be updated to reflect the current housing market.
However it acknowledges there has been a vast difference across the country in the increased values of homes with East Lothian seeing the biggest rise in value – at 500 per cent, well above the national average of 357 per cent and the increase in Edinburgh which is estimated at 448 per cent.
It means if a national banding system is introduced it is likely more homes in East Lothian will fall into higher band brackets than in other part of Scotland.
Local MSP Craig Hoy says the impact on the county’s residents could be ‘jaw dropping’.
He said: “For some people who fall into the higher bracket council tax could double.
“People in East Lothian have already been hit with council tax increases with the possibility of another ten per cent rise or more next year and now we are talking about a system that would just clobber them even more.
Mr Hoy said if the 14 tier bands were introduced by the Scottish Government it could mean people living in the largest homes facing an annual bill increasing from £3,780 to £6,515 which would equate to a 72 per cent increase.
He urged everyone living in the county to go online and make their voices heard by taking part in the consultation.
He said: “People in East Lothian are sick and tired of paying more but getting less in return when it comes to vital local services. The SNP have had nearly 19 years to sort out council tax after promising to do so before they were first elected, but instead they have only reverted to endless consultations on the subject.
“I am concerned this will be used as a smokescreen by the Scottish Government to allow them to cut funding for local authorities further.”
Scottish Government figures for local authority funding for last year estimated 18 per cent came from council tax, with a further 19 per cent from non domestic rates and 63 per cent provided by the government to fund local services.
The estimate for the coming year is Council tax is similar with 19 per cent from council tax and 18 per cent from non domestic rates.
The Scottish Government consultation says that property values in East Lothian rose more than anywhere else in the UK while the lowest increase in three decades was in Aberdeen where prices rose by 168 per cent.
The top five places where property value rose were:
East Lothian 500 per cent;
Shetland Islands 482 per cent;
Orkney Islands 468 per cent;
Midlothian 451 per cent;
City of Edinburgh 448 per cent
To take part in the Scottish Government council tax consultation click here.
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