Decision details

The Committee resolved:-

(i)            to note that Councillor Yuill advised that he had a connection in relation to the item as he was a Board Member of NHS Grampian however, having applied the objective test he did not consider that his connection amounted to an interest which would prevent him from participating in the discussion on the item;

(ii)          to note the Population Needs Assessment 2023 as contained at appendix 1; and

(iii)         to note from the report that, while all households in Scotland will be affected by increases in the cost of living, a report by the Scottish Government suggests that it is those with lower incomes and little or no savings who will be most impacted as they spend a higher proportion than average on energy, food and transport and they therefore have less flexibility in their budget to cope with price rises. Therefore, agrees a Council Tax freeze can only be supported if it is fully funded by the Scottish Government.