Exhausted reserves forced 23.6% rate rise, say commissioners

Michael Commissioners say this year's rates rise is more than seven times higher than inflation because there's no money left to soften the blow.

After the board announced it would put up rates by 23.6 per cent yesterday, Chairman Duncan Livingstone says the local authority's reserves have been exhausted avoiding or reducing rate rises over the years.

He says this year's increase will allow commissioners to leave around £5,000 in the savings account.

But he added with rising costs, there'd been no choice but to introduce a large rates hike this year.