Meeting of the Parliament 19 March 2026 [Draft]
I understand the question that Mr Lumsden is asking. The members’ expenses scheme clearly states that the corporate body
“shall publish information on expenses reimbursed to members under the Scheme in such form and at such intervals as the SPCB may determine.”
As I have already said, we recently included the on-going support as part of the scheme rather than as a temporary position, in order to ensure that members’ expenses are not disproportionately affected by such premiums. As such, for transparency reasons, we believe that the support should continue to be published alongside other expenses that are incurred by members.
Council tax costs have always been part of our published data, and those figures have included the premium since it was introduced in 2024. However, the corporate body recognises that the level of increases that are now being introduced could be seen to disproportionately increase the overall expense level for members who are eligible for and choose to have accommodation in Edinburgh. We will therefore look at how that information is published to ensure that it is clear which element is the normal council tax and which is the additional premium that has been applied.