The Conservative Group on Moray Council has said that it will vote against the SNP Administration’s budget, rejecting it as a “double whammy” which both cuts services and delivers an inflation-busting increase in Council Tax.
Group Leader, Cllr Tim Eagle (Buckie) said: “How on earth can the SNP pretend that a budget which further cuts vital service, while taking even more money from local residents, is a good deal? In reality it’s a double-whammy which leaves everyone worse off.
“We are faced with a budget which is the worst of all worlds, and shows what a shocking situation the Council finds itself in after years of unfair treatment at the hands of the SNP Government.”
Cllr Eagle said that his group would only agree to a 3% rise to tide the Council over for a further year and urged Moray’s SNP MSP and councillors to put pressure on SNP ministers to deliver a fairer deal in the meantime.
Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston backed Councillor Eagle and his colleagues.
“Moray residents face another year of increasing council tax bills and more local services being cut. All because Moray’s SNP administration is prepared to wave through yet another appalling budget settlement from the SNP Government. Meanwhile, Richard Lochhead sits on his hands and does nothing.
“There is absolutely no excuse for the way Moray has been treated by the Scottish Government. Nicola Sturgeon and her ministers have hung the county out to dry because they would prefer to spend their resources on their political priorities and not on making sure local councils, and local public services, are properly funded.
“Tim Eagle and Moray’s Conservative councillors are absolutely right to stand up for local residents, to fight for local services, and to reject this latest “pay more, get less” budget from the Council’s SNP Administration. It is not the job of Moray’s local councillors to do the SNP’s dirty work for it”.
