Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 04 February 2026
04 Feb 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Council Tax
In 92 days, Scots will be asked to pass judgment on 19 years of Scottish National Party rule. Nowhere is its record more wanting and damaging than in relation to Scotland’s local government. For a decade and more, this Government has chronically underfunded councils across Scotland. Now, many face the stark reality of being unable to deliver statutory services without double-digit-percentage council tax increases in May.
The numbers are clear. In 2020-21, the SNP Government provided 65 per cent of local government funding; in 2025-26, that number has dropped to 60 per cent. In 2010-11, nearly 40 per cent of all Scottish Government funding went to councils; that figure is now closer to 30 per cent.
Despite the SNP’s smoke and mirrors, in the period that this budget and spending review cover, there is a real-terms reduction in council budgets. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies says,
“Local government … is set to see reductions averaging 2.1 per cent a year in real-terms”.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-20654, in the name of Craig Hoy, on opposing the Scottish Government’s proposed council tax rises. I remi...
Craig Hoy (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
In 92 days, Scots will be asked to pass judgment on 19 years of Scottish National Party rule. Nowhere is its record more wanting and damaging than in relatio...
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government (Shona Robison)
SNP
Will the member give way?
Craig Hoy
Con
I will give way to the cabinet secretary for her alternative logic.
Shona Robison
SNP
They are called facts, and the facts are that, according to independent commentators, including the Accounts Commission and the Scottish Parliament informati...
Craig Hoy
Con
I understand that Specsavers now does hearing tests—the cabinet secretary should have gone to Specsavers, because she did not hear what the IFS said. It said...
Shona Robison
SNP
Will the member give way?
Craig Hoy
Con
I will give way again.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
Cabinet secretary, briefly.
Shona Robison
SNP
Just to again help Craig Hoy a little, that reference was to the spending review, not to the 2026-27 budget. He needs to understand the difference between a ...
Craig Hoy
Con
The minister stood in the Parliament during the budget statement and said that there will be a 2 per cent real-terms increase to local government, but that i...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
I call the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to speak to and move amendment S6M-20654.2.16:10
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government (Shona Robison)
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to speak and correct the misinformation in the Conservative motion. First, the budget improves the local government settlement with...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
Always speak through the chair.
Craig Hoy
Con
Earlier today, I spoke with COSLA, which, of course, is SNP-led, and I do not think that the Scottish Government should be lecturing anybody else on its rela...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
I can give you the time back, cabinet secretary.
Shona Robison
SNP
We have provided a real-terms increase to local government and we have made sure that that funding is flexible. If Craig Hoy is suggesting that there should ...
Michael Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
In 2007, a fresh-faced finance secretary by the name of John Swinney was entrusted with delivering the SNP’s election promise of scrapping the council tax. I...
Shona Robison
SNP
Talking of change, I refer to our proposal to introduce new council tax bands for the very highest-value homes—those that are worth more than £1 million. Tha...
Michael Marra
Lab
We certainly support the principle. However, given what I have just laid out, believing in the Government’s ability to deliver anything at all in this area i...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
I am not very surprised at my immediate feelings of frustration about how the debate is starting. There were some important and legitimate points that I agre...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
I am much more optimistic than Patrick Harvie is about council tax reform and local government finance reform. I have sat through endless meetings in this bu...
Shona Robison
SNP
Will Willie Rennie—
Willie Rennie
LD
Just a minute. I have not got to the punchline yet. Laughter. There is a punchline.Then, there is a ministerial reshuffle, and the next innocent soul comes i...
Shona Robison
SNP
In no spending review outlook do the figures stay the same from budget to budget. Let us look back to the projection for local government in the spending rev...
Willie Rennie
LD
I accept that. However, from looking at the chart, it is very clear that the spending lines go up for health, education and many other departments. Local gov...
Shona Robison
SNP
Will the member give way on that point?
Willie Rennie
LD
I do not know whether I have the time.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
Not even for your punchline, Mr Rennie.
Willie Rennie
LD
I wish that we would treat local government with a bit more respect. Let us give it a proper settlement to meet the demands that it faces and the expectation...