City accused of tax rise by back door as garden aid charges soar

CITY leaders were today accused of a "council tax rise by the back door" after enforcing massive increases on a service that helps elderly and disabled people maintain their gardens.

The council last year axed a free "garden aid" offered to around 3000 residents aged 80 or over who own their homes.

Now the 75 charge introduced last April for the service, which includes grass cutting and hedge trimming, is set to rise dramatically next month.

The average user of the service will see the charge rise to 100 a year, but many with larger gardens will see the cost soar by much more.

Labour councillor Ewan Aitken, who represents the Craigentinny and Duddingston ward, said several of his constituents in the Findlay Gardens area would be charged more than 200 a year for the service.

"They are up in arms about this," said Cllr Aitken. "It is the equivalent of a 24 per cent rise in their council tax.

"They are furious that they are now judging this by the size of your garden. This is something that allows the council to say on one hand that it has frozen your council tax, but then charges more for services like this.

"It is a council tax rise by the back door and it is hitting people who are on fixed pensions and can't afford it."

He said that the Findlay Gardens properties themselves were modest former prefab homes but, through an "accident of geography", were laid out in a way that meant they had large gardens.

The new system means that work on gardens up to 500 square metres will be charged at 100 a year but residents will be charged an extra 20p per square metre above that.

Jessie Grahame, 81, who has lived in Findlay Gardens for 26 years, said: "I'm paying 75 but I've had a letter saying that will increase to 180. It is a bit much. I'm 81 and I can't manage a garden. My sister's is going up to 230. We do have large gardens around here but we're pensioners and it is far too much."

The garden aid service costs the council 580,000 a year. The introduction of the charge last year is said to have brought in 100,000. The new charges will cover 130,000 of the costs, meaning it remains highly subsidised.

Councillor Paul Edie, the city's health leader, said: "I've looked at Labour's budget and I cannot see any reference to rejecting (council official proposals to] increase prices. They appear to have voted in favour of it three weeks ago.

"We have got difficult budget situations and we had to make savings all over the place.

"But it is still very good value for money in comparison to other councils and getting a private gardener in."