How runaway council tax could break the SNP’s grip on Scotland

For almost two decades, Scots appeared to benefit from a tax perk that their neighbours south of the border could only dream of. While in England, the average band D council tax bill rose by £850 between April 2007 and April 2025, a combination of council tax freezes and caps imposed by Holyrood meant the average increase in Scotland was just £269 over this period.