Glasgow residents will see their council tax bills increase after the council approved its budget for 2025/26, rising by 7.5%.
The Glasgow City Council approved the budget for 2025/26. Council tax is rising by 7.5 percent due to this budget. The SNP and Greens made a deal to invest in over 200 cleansing staff. Free school meals will expand to more primary pupils. Education cuts are now cancelled, and teaching jobs will not be lost.
Scottish Water sets water charges included with council tax, and they recently announced almost a 10% rise in 2025/26. Here are the combined annual costs for Glasgow households from April: Band A: £1,474.26; Band B: £1,719.97; Band C: £1,965.68; Band D: £2,211.39; Band E: £2,850.49; Band F: £3,485.11; Band G: £4,155.53; Band H: £5,147.73.
Ricky Bell supports the council’s decision, stating they must fund local priorities. He asks residents to contribute a bit more which he says goes towards investing in services. These include cleansing, schools, parks, and children.
Last year’s council tax freeze ends in April. The Scottish Government subsidized it. Cllr Bell said national insurance affected the budget because the UK Government did not fully fund the increase. This reduced the budget by £10 million.
Jill Brown criticized the SNP and Greens, saying they rejected Labour’s investment plans while hiking council tax and failing to deliver. She stated Glaswegians are paying the price, adding that the SNP and Greens chose “higher costs with little in return.”