Council tax hikes of up to 15% on the way

Services likely to see cuts across every council

- BY BEN BORLAND

NEARLY all Scotland's local authorities plan to increase council tax again this year, with one in five set to bring in a 15% hike - and some warning it could be even higher.

The alarming figures come in a new survey in which nearly three-quarters of town hall chiefs warned their local authorities are "close to effective bankruptcy" after years of underfunding from the SNP government.

The Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) sent requests to all o council chief executives, leaders and finance directors, and received 36 responses from bosses at 26 of the 32 authorities.

Every one said they plan to raise council tax by at least 5%, with 25 saying it would be between 5% and 10%, eight saying 10-15% and three saying it would be above 15%.