SCOTTISH Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has said “casting both votes for the SNP on May 6 will leave households much better off” – as council tax rises in England will see households landed with a £2 billion bill. From today, households south the Border will face an average council tax hike of 4.3% with those in London set to be hit the hardest, with a 9.5% increase in the Greater London Authority area and an average increase of 5.5% for a band D property. In contrast, all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities have agreed to freeze council tax rates as a result of the Scottish Government’s fully-funded council tax freeze, which provides local authorities the cash equivalent of a 3% council tax increase in return for not putting up levels.