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Two Scottish councils expected to maintain tax freeze Three Scottish councils to maintain tax freeze
(about 13 hours later)
Two Labour-led councils in Scotland are expected to confirm that they will freeze the basic rate of council tax. Three Labour-run councils in Scotland are to voluntarily freeze the basic rate of council tax.
South Lanarkshire and Inverclyde have indicated that they will not take advantage of a Scottish government offer to increase bills by up to 3%. South Lanarkshire confirmed this morning that it would not be increasing bills.
Five other local authorities will be agreeing their council tax later. Inverclyde and Renfrewshire Councils are expected to do the same this afternoon.
Scotland's biggest council, Glasgow, plus Highland, Angus and Fife look set to back rises. Renfrewshire Council has not publicly indicated what it will do. The councils argue they are helping family budgets but the move could leave them open to criticism from anti-austerity campaigners.
Each council will have the option this year to raise the basic rate by up to 3%. BBC Scotland's local government correspondent Jamie McIvor said any council which froze the council tax could find it hard to attack the Scottish government over the level of council funding.
That means bills for all properties could rise above the level set in 2007 for the first time, with the end of the government's long-running council tax freeze policy. However, local authorities may believe the move will prove popular locally or demonstrate efficiency.
However, all Scottish households in higher band properties - anything from E up to H - will be paying more money, no matter what their local authority decides to do. Four other councils, including Labour-run Glasgow and Fife, look set to raise bills by 3% today.
This is because MSPs voted last year to increase the multiplier for the top four rates from April, which should raise £100m extra each year. Angus, which is run by the SNP, and Highland are also set to raise bills.
If South Lanarkshire and Inverclyde vote to continue the council tax freeze for the basic rates, they will be the first of the country's 32 local authorities to do so. There is also speculation Labour-run Aberdeen Council will opt for a freeze in the basic rate of council tax when it sets its budget next week.
So far, eight councils have agreed their budgets and council tax rates. The Scottish government gave councils the power to raise the basic rate of council tax by up to 3%. Bills have not gone up anywhere in Scotland since 2007.
Aberdeenshire Council opted for a 2.5% rise while Western Isles; Midlothian; Edinburgh; Borders; East Renfrewshire; Moray and Shetland voted for a 3% increase. Around a quarter of people will pay more regardless of their local council's decisions.
All local authorities are scheduled to agree their spending plans for 2017/18 and set their council tax by 2 March Bills in properties in Bands E to H will rise automatically through national changes to the way council tax is calculated which have been made by the Scottish government.
How much? By Wednesday, seven councils had opted to put up the basic rate of council tax by 3% costing a typical billpayer £3-4 a month.
SNP-run Aberdeenshire Council opted for a smaller rise of 2.5%.