THE funding crisis we face at Glasgow City Council and as a city demands urgent action to create a fairer tax system to support local government.

It is worth noting that Scottish Budget for 2023-24 includes positive steps towards a more progressive taxation system. There are increases to the higher and top bands of income tax and to the Additional Dwelling Supplement. These progressive changes have gone some way to improving the state of our public finances.

We must go further if we are to protect and properly fund local services. It is a necessity that politicians of all parties are pushing both UK Government and Scottish Government to use their powers to the greatest possible extent in order to deliver fairer funding for our country’s largest city.

We believe that, as a Council we must do everything that we can with the powers that we have to raise revenue to invest in our public services. Green councillors are focussed on increasing our revenue raising and income generation opportunities.

We want to ensure that there are preparations for the introduction of an extensive and highly - rated transient visitor levy to be brought in at the earliest possible opportunity, Also, there is a need to complete development work for the implementation of the workplace parking levy.

We need to make progress on introducing road user charging schemes, using the powers under the Transport Act 2001. This would help to reduce congestion and pollution in the city centre and bring in a charge to non-Glasgow residents for driving into Glasgow on main arterial routes from neighbouring local authorities.

We must find ways to alleviate the immediate financial pressures being faced by the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership. Our citizens have the right to access decent public services that have the capacity and resources to provide them with the basics that they need.

For local government finance to be put on a truly secure and sustainable footing, the city council must have the decision-making powers to raise its own funds and to meet its own financial challenges.

Almost all politicians from almost all parties agree that our current system of local government finance is not fit for purpose and is in dire need of reform. The Bute House Agreement between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Greens secured a commitment to a Citizens Assembly on local government finance; the Scottish Government has also committed to a “New Deal for Local Government” following the Local Governance Review.

Green councillors will engage constructively with these processes and advocate for the most progressive possible system of taxation, including the replacement of the current council tax system with a form of fit-for-purpose land value taxation.

These comprehensive reforms to the systems of local government finance are long overdue and must be delivered as a matter of urgency.

In the months ahead, we hope that the Scottish Government will take action to enhance the financial powers of local government, while awaiting the outcome of the broader review of local government finance.