John Baron

Conservative Party | Billericay and District

John Baron MP: Gordon Brown’s fingerprints all over another round of council tax rises

MP says fiddled funding and unfunded responsibilities are to blame

Local residents face yet another year of soaring council taxes, according to a new survey by town halls. The cross-party Local Government Association (LGA) has predicted that council tax bills across England will soar by 4% from this April, following a snapshot of the draft budgets of a hundred town halls.

John said:

“The LGA has confirmed that the Government is to blame because of the extra regulations it has imposed on local councils without proper funding. Examples include the rising costs of social care due to an ageing population, extra costs of waste and recycling due to EU and Whitehall directives, the under-funded cost of free bus travel, transferring costs for family court hearings to councils and new 24 hour licensing laws.”

·       In Basildon District, council tax bills have already more than doubled over the last 10 years.
·       A typical home in England will pay an estimated £1,374 on Band D from April, equivalent to £115 a month. Scotland, on the other hand, will enjoy a tax freeze, with the same Band D home only paying £1,149.

·       On average, families across England will have to find an extra £53 in tax from April, on top of existing council tax, the rising price of mortgages and rocketing utility bills. If council tax bills were to rise by 4% in Basildon, this would mean a rise of £57.

The precise rise will depend on the individual budget decisions of local authorities.

John added:

“Gordon Brown’s fingerprints are all over the doubling of council tax bills under Labour, making it his sneakiest stealth tax yet. His fiddled funding and new duties imposed on local councils will mean yet more money snatched from people’s pensions and pay packets. Meanwhile, new bin taxes are on the way.”