GALASHIELS councillor Sandy Aitchison has defended the local authority administration plans for increasing council tax by the maximum allowed.

If the Conservative-independent councillors get their way at next month's meeting, bills will soar by 4.84 percent from April.

And charges for other Scottish Borders Council services will also increase by above inflation rates.

As well as funding replacement schools to be delivered on time in Galashiels and Hawick, due in 2023 and 2024 respectively, the additional cash will also help pay for two new care homes.

Councillor Aitchison, who is the deputy leader at Newtown, believes it is a price worth paying.

He said: "“This has been yet another difficult budget but we believe that the options that we are putting forward are far better than the alternatives.

“We could have proposed a three percent council tax rise as originally planned, but that would have pushed the opening of a new Galashiels Academy back to 2024/25, the replacement of Hawick High School to 2029/30, and would have resulted in one of the care homes not opening until 2023/24.

“A three percent increase would have been a real terms cut to council funding due to the impact of inflation and would not have raised any extra money for road repairs either.

“We have absolutely minimised the impact on our most vulnerable people in this budget, kept increases to fees and charges to an average of three per cent and continue to invest in vital projects and services which will have a positive impact on our residents and communities.”