The cost of school meals, parking your car, getting married and buried are all set to rise if Dundee City Council’s budget is approved next week.
The local authority is facing a £15 million black hole in its budget.
A number of savings and efficiencies have been identified by the SNP administration to plug this gap, including a 3% hike in council tax that will deliver an additional £1. 5 million in revenue.
But hard-pressed Dundonians face being hit by increases to a number of other services on top of their council tax bills.
If approved on Thursday, the cost of school meals will rise from £2 to £2.10 a day in primary schools and from £2.05 to £2.20 in secondaries. The price will also rise for adults from £3.25 to £3.30.
In total, this will net the council an additional £32,000 and the local authority will also bring in another £1,000 by raising the coast of instrument hire from £83 a year to £85.
Car parking charges are also set to go up with some fees rising by as much as 12%.
Off-street parking is due to go up from £2.10 to £2.30 for up to two hours while the cost of parking between six and 10 hours will rise from £8.70 to £9.60.
The cost of parking at Dudhope Castle car park for a day is to rise from £4 to £4.40, while parking in Queen Street in Broughty Ferry is going up from £1.60 to £1.80 for up to one hour and to £5.10 for four to 10 hours parking — a rise of 50p.
Monthly tickets for parking at the city’s long-stay car parks, including Greenmarket, are to rise from £92 to £101.
These rises are set to net an extra £128,000 for the council.
Parking fees in a variety of car parks and for on-street parking will rise, including those in the Perth Road, Dudhope Street, Barrack Road, South Victoria Dock Road, the Hilltown, Shore Terrace and Dudhope Crescent/Road.
Car parking at the new rail station car park will increase from £2.60 to £2.90 for up to an hour.
Parking permits are also set to cost more. City centre resident parking is to rise from £79 to £87, in Broughty Ferry it will go up from £56 to £62 and resident parking in Menzieshill is to go up £1, from £7 to £8.
Burial costs are set to rise from £545 to £556. Fees for new lairs will go up from £536 to £547.
Charges for getting married in council venues including the Baxter Park Pavilion are also set to rise as will the fees payable to registrars.
Labour leader Kevin Keenan said while his group accepts council tax has to rise they will are looking at alternatives.
He said: “Yet again ordinary Dundonians will be forced to dig deep into their pockets to pay increased charges.”
Lib Dem leader Fraser Macpherson said the group will also be providing an alternative budget and aim to reduce the council tax rise.
He said: “The Liberal Democrat Group will be proposing an alternative budget — we think a council tax increase of 3% is too high and we also oppose many of the increases in fees and charges for council services for car parking, leisure facilities and burial charges.
“The council really can do better with its budget and we are determined to provide a better alternative.”
