Help Sitemap Home Skip Navigation Contact Us Disability Statement

 
 
Thursday, 21st August 2008 Change Date

Premium Article !

Your account has been frozen. For your available options click the below button.

Options

Premium Article !

To read this article in full you must have registered and have a Premium Content Subscription with the Edinburgh Evening News site.

Subscribe

Registered Article !

To read this article in full you must be registered with the site.

Sign In
Register

Milligan slams Government deal to freeze council tax



Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image

FORMER Lord Provost Eric Milligan has launched an outspoken attack on the finance deal between the Scottish Government and local authorities.
Councils are to receive above-inflation cash settlements from the Scottish Government, which will allow them to fund a council-tax freeze next year.

But at a full council meeting, Labour's Councillor Milligan said: "This city has jealously guarded the right to raise money independently of central government for more than 500 years."

Earlier this month, SNP finance secretary John Swinney told the parliament that by 2010-11, funding for Scotland's 32 councils would increase by £1.4 billion, or 12.9 per cent compared with this year.

Mr Swinney laid heavy emphasis on the "concordat" that has been signed by the Scottish Government and the leadership of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

He said less money was being "ring-fenced", or set aside for specific purposes.

More than 40 ring-fenced grants worth in excess of £1.7 billion would be put into the overall settlement.



The full article contains 177 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 26 December 2007 10:58 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Council tax , Eric Milligan
 
1

Linda,

Edinburgh 26/12/2007 11:48:29
What nonsense from Eric Milligan. I supppose he would rather have a further 85% increase oin Council Tax over the next ten years as was the case under Labour rule. Until we have Local Income Tax the City Council will not raise its money independently from Central Government.
2

juan kerr and his dead magic hands, now re risen.,

26/12/2007 12:07:16
Mr Milligan would love to be stting the tax himself to fund his addiction to expenses in his time in office. All the junkets, all the suits from Ede and Ravenscroft, all the free jambo tickets. If the Goverment set it , then it needs to be justified.

Thank god these loonies no longer ultimately control the purse strings.
3

The Sheriff,

26/12/2007 12:08:24
Isn't it rather strange that FAILED politicians like Mr "jambo man" run squeeling like the stuffed pig he once was with his snout in the trough no more?

The SNP are cerainly ruffling a few labourite feathers after only a few months in power.Perhaps it is their realisation that after FORTY years of power in Edinburgh they have finally been rumbled by a political party that has the needs and interests not only of the citizens of Edinburgh but all over Scotland.

Slowly but surely the Labour power bases will be wiped out of Scotland for good and we can go forward in the international community without the shackles of Labour.
4

gus1940,

Edinburgh 26/12/2007 13:00:12
Situation normal again - no International News but still we get the usual biased coverage of Scottish Politics with attacks on the SNP.
5

Ricardo,

methil 26/12/2007 19:44:59
sounds like the plonker wants to charge the poor people of Glasgow more.... Shame on the Prat.

6

A Better Way,

27/12/2007 00:30:42
Come on Gus it doesnt matter if there is any news or not, this paper is like the BBC which tries to protect the system that has kept the few in the system in control of us for their London Masters. Aye the same crowd who had to hide from the rioting Scottish People, when they signed the Act of Union. Unionists.
7

the_figures_are _fudged,

Galashiels 27/12/2007 00:47:07
Oh look , a real story from the torygraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=BX3ZLW1VX3YQNQFIQMGCFFWAVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2007/12/27/nloans127.xml

Now consider how scared labour must feel , not only are they unable to raise council tax but things are hotting up over illegal donations down south.

I hope Wendy hasn't been forgotten by the Scotsman this Xmas, new year will see the fruits of her actions coming home to roost as well.

Poor little New Labour piggies squealing at the trough.
8

a proud doonhamer,

Dumfries 27/12/2007 01:34:57
His comments simply confirm the reason he is former Provost and why his party is no longer relevant in Scotland.
9

morris,

edinburgh 27/12/2007 10:40:25
9
John Swinney said less money was being "ring-fenced", or set aside for specific purposes. That is surely the purpose of local government,make the elected representatives truly responsible for the priorities in their council area.
Not only is this a step in the right direction, but a long overdue one.You cannot possibly oppose this, because you are progressively more free to spend the money as you please and that includes what would have happened had it been otherwise.
Another nail out of Scotlands coffin,but it will be interetsting to see what spending priorities the various parties have,and that should speak volumes !

 

Comment on this Story

 

In order to post comments you must Register or Sign In

 
 
RSS Feed of this article's comments
Delivery formats: RSS, Atom, Javascript & Email
 
  

 
 


Sister Newspapers:
Press Complaints Commission

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here.

If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the PCC by clicking here.