McGrigor attacks “Governmental blackmail” over Orkney Council Tax

Released – 20th September 2005

Backing comments by Kirkwall councillor Roderick McLeod in which he described warnings from the Scottish Executive to Orkney Islands Council over it use of revenue obtained from council tax on second homes as "insulting", MSP Jamie McGrigor said:

“This is typical of the centralised attitude and interfering nature of the Scottish Executive.

“To have the gall to dictate to Orkney Islands Council that money raised from tax on second homes must be spent to the “satisfaction” of the Executive or risk having money withheld is shameful and tantamount to governmental blackmail.

“They seem oblivious or ignorant to the fact that £13million per year of government money is already withheld from Orkney through the Executive’s ongoing under-funding of the islands.

“There can be little doubt that this under-funding has lead to the increases in Orkney’s council tax and therefore I would like to see the estimated £160,000 returned to the 7,000 or so council taxpayers of Orkney in the form of a rebate”.