Proposed council tax rise could hit older people hard

Highland Senior Citizens’ Network chairman Ian McNamara has warned the rise in council tax could adversely “affect older people, particularly vulnerable older people”.

The council said it had done everything it could to keep the rise as low as it could, recognising the impact of the cost of living on people but that may be slim comfort to those on the state pension.

He said: “I suppose for a lot of older people on a pension they are on a fixed income, and that is the problem – their income is not going to go up with inflation.

“Generally it is going to hit everybody but I think it will affect older people, particularly vulnerable older people who are much more likely to feel it adversely.

“There are older people that are living in a high council tax band, maybe they just want to stay there so you could be property well off and cash poor.”

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