THIS week's Councillor Column is written by Maurice Corry, Conservative representative for the Lomond North ward.

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With council tax rates set to increase over bands E, F, G and H, the public may hope that this money will free up council budgets and improve local facilities.

This however, for the main part of the West of Scotland and specifically Argyll and Bute, will result in the council effectively losing a further £4.9m by 2021.

The Helensburgh and Lomond area is going to be particularly hard hit by this money grab. You may ask where these funds are going if it’s not to the local authority - well it’s being collected centrally and redistributed through an Education Attainment Fund.

The local authorities have no control over this additional cash that’s raised. It is solely under the control of the SNP Government, who will decide where within Scotland it will be distributed.

Argyll and Bute residents will not benefit at all; the main winners will be areas such as Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and Dundee.

Is this not further hypocrisy of the SNP who continue to centralise funds and services within Scotland, while starving the more rural parts of the country?

Why should local authorities not have control of the additional funds raised to improve the local area?

Surely councils are best placed to decide what areas within their boundaries require additional funding?

These are all questions that ran through my head when I heard about the increases in council tax.

Well the SNP don’t agree, they believe they know better, damaging our local democracy which is fundamental for providing the facilities and services we all require.

I find the hypocrisy of the SNP bewildering. They don’t like centralisation of funds to Westminster, even though we receive a larger amount back through the Barnett Formula which plugs the gap in our deficit.

Sadly, when the SNP redistribute the additional money through the Education Attainment Fund, it’s not increased for us. It simply won’t exist.