Highland Conservatives set out a “common sense” budget plan focused on lower tax, stronger services and support for families and businesses.
Highland Council’s Conservative & Unionist Group has published its 2026/27 budget amendment ahead of Thursday’s full Council meeting, setting out what it describes as a responsible and deliverable plan to strengthen frontline services, support working families and maintain firm control of Council Tax.
The proposal sets Council Tax at 3.5%, which the Group says is the lowest sustainable increase possible while protecting frontline services and maintaining financial stability. Of that figure, 2% is already committed within the financial framework to support the Highland Investment Plan (HIP) and is effectively built in. The remaining uplift is limited to what the Conservatives describe as strictly necessary to safeguard core services.
The Group says the approach stands in stark contrast to the 7% Council Tax increase proposed by the SNP-Independent administration. With households across the Highlands continuing to face sustained cost-of-living pressures and Council rents set to rise by 8%, the Conservatives argue that a higher increase would place unnecessary strain on families.
Councillor Ruraidh Stewart, Leader of the Conservative Group, who will present the amendment at Thursday’s Council meeting, said the difference between the two approaches was clear.
“There is a clear choice before this Council, discipline or drift. A 3.5% increase, with 2% of that for infrastructure investment, is responsible. Seven per cent in a cost-of-living crisis is not.”
“Responsible government is about stewardship. We have protected the Highland Investment Plan, we have protected frontline services, and we have kept the increase as low as it can reasonably be. That is what responsibility looks like.”
The amendment maintains controlled taxation while funding targeted improvements in roads, schools and community services. The Group says the package is fully funded through identified efficiencies, prioritising frontline delivery over bureaucracy and ensuring investment is focused where it delivers the greatest benefit to hardworking taxpayers.
Key commitments in the proposal include:
- Doubling the additional roads maintenance uplift to £1 million in 2026/27 to begin tackling the scale of defects and backlog across the network.
- Introducing Saturday on-street parking at zero charge in Highland town centres to support footfall and local trade.
- Delivering fully funded universal school meals for every Highland primary pupil as practical cost support for working families.
- Doubling the Countryside Rangers service and strengthening enforcement capacity to address irresponsible parking, littering and environmental damage.
- Investing in Highland communities through increases in ward discretionary funds, community council core funding and the Comfort Scheme.
The Cllr Stewart says the combined effect of the proposals would leave Highland families up to £1,386 per year better off compared with the administration’s plans, by limiting Council Tax increases and delivering direct, tangible savings for households.
Cllr Stewart said the contrast with the administration’s plans was clear.
“Families across the Highlands live within their means every day. This Council should do the same. You don’t spend money you haven’t got, and you don’t make promises you can’t afford.
This administration continues to balance the books on the backs of hardworking families. That’s not right. The job of this Council is to manage its finances properly and let people keep more of what they earn.
Taxpayers are the engine of our economy. They work hard for their money, and we should never forget that every pound this Council spends is theirs. Our job is to respect that, keep taxes under control, and create the right conditions for the Highlands to grow and thrive.
When families are counting every pound, the answer isn’t to squeeze them for more. It’s to run the Council properly and let people keep more of what they earn.
This amendment is built on solid common sense. Start with the essentials: roads, schools, and the services people rely on, and make sure they’re delivered properly. Keep a firm grip on the finances and focus on what really matters.”
Cllr Stewart, who is the Scottish Conservative candidate for Inverness and Nairn at the forthcoming Holyrood election, said the amendment demonstrates how Conservative leadership would approach public finances at every level of government.
“The principles do not change whether you are in local government or national government. Sound money, strong services and respect for taxpayers that is common sense, and that is how we would govern at every level.”
The amendment will be debated and voted on at Thursday’s full meeting of the Highland Council.
