Fife Council leader accused of hypocrisy over council tax

James Calder raised the issue at a Fife Council meeting last week after a report that First Minister John Swinney had refused to rule out the move. 

He said that was "extremely concerning" and asked if council leader Cllr David Ross would agree that the imposition of a council tax freeze, without consultation with local government, would be a "complete and utter disgrace". 

Fife Council leader, Labour councillor David Ross. (Image: Fife Council) Cllr Ross said that would be "very regrettable" and restrict the council's ability to "meet the two-year pay deal" that has been offered to council workers.

His report to the full council meeting last week stated that Mr Swinney had "refused to rule out the imposition of another council tax freeze or cap that would undermine the sustainability of local government funding".

It was frozen in Fife in 2024-25 but for 2025-26 there was an 8.2 per cent rise, with the minority Labour administration admitting it was painful but necessary to balance the books and cover the cost of services we all use.

At the meeting former SNP leader, Cllr David Alexander, accused Cllr Ross of hypocrisy and pointed out that Labour politicians in Scotland had previously supported council tax freezes.   

And his party colleague, Cllr Derek Glen, went further and said it was curious that the leader was "pontificating about council tax freezes that nobody has proposed". 

SNP councillor for Dunfermline Central, Derek Glen. (Image: Fife Council) READ MORE: New cash hope for Dunfermline after £5 million blow

He went on: "However the UK Labour government has announced in its spending review that councils in England will be compelled to increase their council tax by five per cent every year and told they won't be allowed to increase it by any more than five per cent, regardless of their financial position and with absolutely no central government funding being made available to fund this council tax cap. 

"Does he not recognise his hypocrisy in complaining about a previous fixed level of council tax increase in Scotland, which came with funding support from the Scottish Government, when in practice his own party is imposing a cap elsewhere in the UK with no such funding from the UK Government?"

Cllr Ross responded: "You can only play the team in front of you. 

"Our funding comes from the Scottish Government and we're not happy the First Minister has been asked on several occasions, directly, will he rule out a freeze or future cap on council tax. 

"He's refused to do that.

"And it is hypothetical but if I was an English local authority I suspect I would be making a lot of noise about funding, but that isn't really my business."