THE leader of Argyll and Bute Council’s ruling group has said she is “very pleased” that the authority is now in a position to consider a council tax freeze.

But Conservative councillor Yvonne McNeilly warned that challenges remain despite the announcement by the council that it could make the decision.

Argyll and Bute was one of only two councils in Scotland to implement a council tax increase as part of its budget setting for 2024/25, alongside Inverclyde.

However, it announced on Tuesday, March 19 that it will consider a U-turn, in line with first minister Humza Yousaf’s announcement in October that council tax would be frozen across the country.

Although Councillor McNeilly, who represents the Cowal ward, is not the council’s leader, she is the leader of its ruling Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Group (TALIG).

She said: “I am very pleased. I think essentially we put forward a very strong case that we could not continue to operate within the confines we were facing.

“We took very tough decisions last month to protect jobs and services in our communities, and the Scottish Government came back and we got round the table with them.

“We said ‘Here are the hard and brutal facts, and we are not prepared to go down the road of smashing these services.’

“But we had good negotiations with them and have secured funding to support the impact of the severe weather, in addition to money which was contingent on a council tax freeze.

“That additional funding is hugely important, and the spring budget included £1.1million which will have a very positive effect on our communities.

“So I am very pleased we stood our ground and we believe we now have ourselves in a position where we can freeze council tax.”

Councillor McNeilly added: “The challenges for Argyll and Bute remain. There has been over £100million taken out of Argyll and Bute’s budget by the Scottish Government over the last decade.

“Local government is not funded properly and we cannot continue to provide high level services that communities need and depend on with this level of fiscal destruction put on us.

“They can say what they want – they have had the biggest budget settlement from the UK Government this year and nothing to offer whatsoever.

“The Strategic Opposition Partnership was proposing £3.1million to be hit on to the Health and Social Care Partnership.

“We are pleased to have got to this position but it does not mean we are not looking at huge challenges for next year.

“We have got over the line this time, but there are still huge challenges, and we hope the Scottish Government finally takes on board what we have said, and acknowledges there are challenges facing us.”

SNP councillor Jim Lynch, leader of the council's Strategic Opposition Partnership, and the Scottish Government have both been contacted for comment.