Council tax bills for some East Lothian residents ‘could double’ under proposed Government reforms, it is being claimed, after property values increased by 500 per cent over the last 30 years.

The Scottish Government has launched a public consultation on proposals to change the current band system used to determine household council tax bills with options including creating a new 14 tier of costs to cover updated property values.

Its consultation document argues the current banding system is outdated because it is based on the value of houses in 1991 and needs to be updated to reflect the current housing market.

However it acknowledges there has been a vast difference across the country in the increased values of homes with East Lothian seeing the biggest rise in value – at 500 per

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