Scottish Borders Council set its 2026/27 budget on 19 February, with an 8.5% rise in Council Tax.
There was one piece of good news. From April 2026, the council will charge 225% Council Tax on second homes and 300% on homes empty for a year or more. Councils only have these powers because Green MSPs fought for them.
Our position: every penny raised from second and empty homes should go into affordable homes for local people. And Council Tax itself is unfair and out of date. The Scottish Greens would replace it with a fairer tax based on what homes are actually worth today.
