“A budget consultation for next year opens the door to council tax rises up to a maximum 5 per cent.”
Yet another broken promise from Reform UK! It’s emerged that 8 of the party’s councils have indicated that they will raise council tax next year after struggling to find huge cuts in public spending.
It comes after promises from Nigel Farage to cut out wasteful spending within the councils and to lower taxes in councils under the party’s control.
After being hit by the reality of governing, Reform councils have realised that amid spiralling cost of children’s and adult social care, and with nothing else left to cut, they have to raise council tax to fund services.
The Times reports: “Durham, one of 12 Reform-controlled councils, has proposed scrapping a scheme that exempted the lowest-income households from paying council tax, as well as getting rid of support announced last year for empty and second homes.
“A budget consultation for next year opens the door to council tax rises up to a maximum 5 per cent.”
Other councils considering hiking taxes include Kent, West Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire, Lincolnshire, and Worcestershire.
Reform’s deputy council leader in Warwickshire, Stephen Shaw, said the aim was to increase council tax by “a bit lower” than the maximum, while West Northamptonshire’s leader, Mark Arnull, described a rise in council tax as “highly likely”.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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