6% hike in council tax
Typical yearly bill could rise by £95
HOUSEHOLDS face inflationbusting council tax rises of almost 6% from April.
It would take the annual cost for a typical property – the average Band D home – up £95 to £1,686.
Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid will allow councils in England to increase bills by as much as 2.99% instead of 1.99%.
Authorities that provide social care can also impose a precept of up to 3% – a total rise of 5.99%. This is almost double the rate of inflation.
Critics say the Government has made an outrageous attempt to pass the buck to the cash-starved councils. The Prime Minister’s spokesman said it was up to local authorities to “get the balance right”. There are also warnings that even rises of nearly 6% will not be enough to plug financial black holes created by 40% cuts in Whitehall funding since 2010. Local Government Association chairman Lord Porter said: “Children’s services, adult social care and homelessness services are at a tipping point as a result of funding gaps and rising demand... Little is left to fund other services, like cleaning streets, running leisure centres and fixing potholes.” Ministers unveiled a £450million cash boost for police, but council taxpayers would have to pay for 60% of it. The Police Federation slammed it as “smoke and mirrors”.
THE blame for council tax rises reaching an inflation-beating 6% falls directly at Theresa May’s door, so be angry with the Tory PM, not your local authority.
Years of slashing central government funding for town halls across England has left councils struggling to maintain vital services, never mind delivering the first-class care that growing numbers of elderly and vulnerable citizens deserve but too often don’t receive.
The Tories’ boast about being a low-tax party is hollow when the Treasury’s taking increasing amounts of our money to fund public services that are in shocking decline – a shameful double failure by the Conservatives.
Local government finance needs rebalancing back towards central funding. Fair taxes, collected from the wealthy and big corporations – particularly the banks – must be invested in rebuilding Britain, so we can create the decent country we all deserve.