Most willing to pay more council tax for better services, survey finds

Two in three people would be willing to pay more council tax if they were certain the money was to be spent on local services, a poll suggests.

The finding is contained in a survey by Mori for the Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy.

The poll of 1,006 adults also shows that 54% of people think central government controls more than it used to and only 49% think councils have enough money for the services needed in communities.

Eight in 10 people want more say in how services are run and only one in every three feels part of how decisions are made.

Commission chairman David O’Neill said: “This work undertaken by Mori is about getting to the heart of what the people of Scotland think matters, not the things that politicians tell them that matter.

“It is one part of our bigger commitment to ask some new questions about why doing things locally matters, and what stronger local democracy in Scotland might look like.”

Hundreds of people have come forward with ideas for the commission, he said.