The council postcode lottery: It’s a national scandal

As hard up Scots prepare for an unwelcome hike in council tax rates, The Sunday Post can today reveal how we are all at the mercy of a ‘devastating’ postcode lottery – where you live makes a huge difference when it comes to how much you will asked to be forked out for vital services such as funeral costs, meals on wheels, waste collection and community alarms. Billy Cargill was plunged into debt simply for arranging a funeral for his son. 

 

LOST in grief, all pensioner Billy Cargill wanted to do was lay his son to rest with dignity.

But instead, the retired lorry driver ended up almost £4000 in debt to pay for a funeral after father-of-two Alan took his own life in 2015.

Billy’s heartbreaking story – just one of thousands unfolding across Scotland – comes as a Sunday Post probe today uncovers a postcode lottery in which different councils charge wildly differing fees for the same important public services.

Our investigation reveals how hard-up local authorities are increasing charges for services people cannot do without – from meals on wheels and community alarms to waste collections and funerals.

Billy, from Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, says his family’s funeral poverty left them unable to grieve properly when Alan passed away in 2015 – and that he will still be paying off the debt in a year’s time.

Alan, who was only 40 when he died, was cremated at Holmsford Bridge Crematorium in Irvine.

For the basics – interment of the ashes, memorial plaque and certificate – Billy had to pay East Ayrshire Council £1162.

However, if he had lived in the Western Isles, the basic funeral costs paid to the council would have been £782 while in Falkirk, it would have been £979.

On top of that, the cost for the service was £2600.

“Once upon a time, these services would have been covered by your council tax,” Billy said.

“I just don’t understand how it can cost so much and how the cost can differ so much.”

Billy was forced to borrow money from a friend to pay for his son’s funeral after the Government refused to help his grandson Dylan, who, despite being just 18 at the time, was legally deemed to be Alan’s next of kin.

Dylan was working on a zero-hours contract at a sandwich factory and simply could not afford to pay the charges.

If he had he been claiming benefits, he would have been given a grant but instead his grandfather had to foot the bill.

“I was heartbroken,” said Billy. “I had to go to a friend for money. The funeral directors said I could opt for a payment plan for the service. I am still paying now.

“It is bad enough when you have lost your son and are having to arrange his funeral. To be told I couldn’t arrange it unless I paid £1200 was devastating.”

Our investigation – which comes as Scottish council tax rates for next year are being settled – shows huge discrepancies in the costs of basic council services.

People in the Argyll and Bute council area pay more for meals on wheels – £24.40 for five meals – than they would anywhere else in the country. Those in neighbouring West Dunbartonshire, for example, are charged less than half for the same service – £9.45.

A community alarm is a quarter the price in Moray, at £65-a-year, than in Argyll and Bute, where residents face a £260 bill.

Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, a deluxe community alarm system could see you pay as much as £436.

And those who need bin men to pick up a bulky waste item, like a piece of furniture, also face being landed with large bills, ranging from £40 in Stirling to £80 in Inverclyde.

However, in council areas like Glasgow, East Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire, council workmen will do it free of charge.

With council tax set to rise across the country, Scots could feel an even sharper pinch from April as most authorities are rethinking discretionary charges to help balance the books.

Despite this, MSPs have asked public spending watchdog Audit Scotland to probe what councils are charging for services not covered by council tax amid concern the rises are unfairly hitting the vulnerable and elderly unfairly in the pocket.

Scottish Conservative local government spokesman Graham Simpson said: “Councils are increasing charges because their funding has been slashed by the Scottish Government. No one wants to see people charged more for services, but local authorities have been backed into a corner by the SNP.

“It is important that charges are fair though and in some areas the prices can hardly be described as that.”

Labour MSP for Central Scotland, Elaine Smith, said: “Alarms for older residents and burial costs are but a few examples – prices for meals on wheels and lunch clubs are also going up. It may well be the most vulnerable who are having to pay.

“I am concerned that a lot of people in Scotland are not aware of these extra charges or the cuts that underlie them and no doubt that suits the Government.

“I am pleased Audit Scotland are looking into this, as hidden costs like this can really make the difference in hard economic times.”

Councillor Peter Johnston, health and wellbeing spokesman for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, said many charges were means-tested and added that councils were trying to be more consistent in their charging policies.

He said: “Councils understand the sensitivities around charging for local services and are acutely aware that paying for services can be extremely difficult.

“That is why councils make every effort to balance the contribution of individual citizens and the duty of the council to raise the resources needed to underpin good quality community care services.”

Audit Scotland said fees, charges and other specific grants together accounted for £4.9bn of local government income in Scotland, outstripping council tax and housing income combined (£3.2bn).

The figure was £324m (7.2%) more than in 2014/15 and, Audit Scotland says, fees and charges was the largest growth area in council income.

An Audit Scotland spokeswoman said: “As the Accounts Commission reported in November, Scottish councils last year raised an increasing proportion of their income through fees, charges and specific grants.

“We plan to undertake further analysis to identify trends in fees and charges and will report in 2017 as part of our local government overview reporting.

“This is an area of interest to the commission which we will continue to monitor for our future work.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said it would consider Audit Scotland’s report when it was complete.

He added: “Fees and charges are a matter for local authorities.

“The 2017-18 Draft Budget local government finance settlement figures, taken together with the opportunity to raise additional council tax, provide a package of measures that confer additional spending power to support local government services of £241 million or 2.3% based on the LG Finance settlement presentation.”

Back at his home in Kilmarnock, the mechanics of local government funding hold scant solace for Billy.

“It’s scandalous how much it all costs,” he said. “I just don’t understand how it all differs so much.”