Petition Statement
We, the residents of Clackmannanshire, are calling on Clackmannanshire Council to commit to NO council tax rise in 2026.

Families, workers, pensioners and renters across the county are already at breaking point. After a 13% council tax rise last year and a 6% increase in council rents, people simply cannot absorb another hit.

Enough is enough.

 
📉 Poverty in Clackmannanshire Is Shockingly High
Clackmannanshire is one of the most deprived local authority areas in Scotland.

Around 28% of Clackmannanshire’s population live in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in Scotland, significantly higher than the national average.
Nearly 3 in 10 children live in poverty after housing costs, placing Clackmannanshire among the highest child poverty areas in Scotland.
Many households experience fuel poverty, where energy costs take up an unsustainable share of income.
Workless households and low-paid, insecure employment are more common locally than across Scotland as a whole.
These are not abstract statistics. They represent real families struggling daily to afford food, heating, rent, and basic necessities.

 
Why This Matters
🔴 A 13% Council Tax Rise – Already One of the Highest
In 2025, Clackmannanshire Council pushed through a 13% council tax increase, placing local residents under greater pressure than people in major cities such as Edinburgh, despite lower average wages and higher deprivation.

Residents were told this was unavoidable.

Weeks later, decisions were made that proved otherwise.

 
🔴 Senior Pay Rises While Residents Struggle
Shortly after the council tax rise:

The Chief Executive received a pay increase of around £32,000
Elected councillors voted through pay rises well above inflation
All while residents were being told there was “no alternative” to increasing council tax and rents.

To many people in Clackmannanshire, this looks less like necessity and more like misplaced priorities.

 
🔴 Council Rents Up 6% – Pressure From Every Direction
Council tenants were hit with a 6% rent increase, on top of:

Rising food costs
Energy bills still far above pre-crisis levels
Stagnant wages
Cuts to local services
Families are being forced into impossible choices — heating or eating, rent or essentials — while those at the top of the council continue to benefit.

 
🔴 Failing Services, Rising Costs
Despite record increases in what residents pay:

Local services continue to decline
Communities feel ignored
Decisions are made without meaningful public consultation
People are being asked to pay more without seeing improvements, accountability, or value for money.

 
Our Demand
We demand that Clackmannanshire Council freezes council tax for 2026 and:

✔ Puts residents first
✔ Acknowledges families are at breaking point
✔ Stops funding a councillor and senior-management lifestyle that ordinary people cannot relate to
✔ Shows restraint at the top before demanding more from the bottom

This is not unreasonable.
This is not radical.
This is fair.

 
Message to Councillors
If households must tighten their belts, so should the council.

The people of Clackmannanshire are not an endless cash machine to fund pay rises, allowances, and political comfort while living standards fall.

 
Call to Action
👉 Sign this petition
👉 Share it with your community
👉 Send a clear message: No Council Tax Rise in 2026

Clackmannanshire deserves better.