OPPOSITION councillors at Newtown St Boswells have slammed proposals for a last-minute council tax hike.

On Thursday the ruling administration at Scottish Borders Council announced its spending plans for 2019/20.

And helping to fund the package of investment was a U-turn on going beyond an agreed three percent increase in council tax bills.

The four percent 'bombshell' has been criticised by the SNP leader of the opposition, heather Anderson. She told us: "This is a Tory tax bombshell which will fall on Borders families who are amongst the lowest paid in Scotland.

"Back in December we said the Tories were premature in setting a three percent increase before they agreed a budget, but they insisted.

"Now, out of blue, they’ve changed their minds and they want to overturn their earlier decision.

"As well as hiking up the council tax, they are also making a last minute decision to borrow more.

"It’s a shambles.”

The administration's budget proposals focussed heavily on education with capital proposals for new primary schools in Earlston and Eyemouth, as well as funding progress towards replacement secondaries in Galashiels and Hawick, and supplying new iPads for every pupil in the region from primary six upwards.

But the Conservative/Independent councillors aren't backtracking on last year's controversial decision to scrap school librarians.

After unveiling alternative opposition budget proposals, SNP group leader at Newtown, Councillor Stuart Bell, told us: "I’m astonished.

"We have managed to propose a budget to build two high schools and three primaries - one more than the Tories - put more money into roads this year, reinstate the librarians in the high schools, invest in early learning, young people and our older people – all without increasing borrowing to this scale or increasing the council tax.

"We have done this by focusing on the right priorities”

Included in the opposition budget proposals are £100,000 being spent on restoring maintenance within cemeteries, stopping a cut in funding to Citizens Advice, and preventing bus subsidies being reduced.

The budget proposals from botht he administration and opposition will be discussed during a full members meeting of Scottish Borders Council this week.