Western Isles council tax bills to rise from April

Households in the Western Isles will see their council tax rise by 5% in April.

People living in a band D property will see bills increase by £61.46 a year.

Councillors on Comhairle nan Eilean Siar voted for the rise and further measures to close a predicted £6.4m budget gap for the coming financial year.

The planned cuts include a review of the amount of help given to pupils with additional support needs.

Paul Steele, leader of the comhairle, said freezing council tax levels would have severely restricted the local authority's ability to maintain services.

He said: "This budget comes before the comhairle at a time of unprecedented pressures on both our revenue and capital budgets, and on public sector finance in Scotland generally.

"Added to these pressures have been significant and fluctuating increases in the costs of, well, everything: fuel, energy, commodities, construction materials, food and travel, in fact everything which contributes to people's wellbeing and to a functioning economy."