Ministers have been warned that families are set to face a 5 per cent council tax increase next year that will hit them at a time when services are being cut. The communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has stated that councils in England will continue to increase tax by up to 2 per cent without a referendum and will boost the social care precept by up to 3 per cent from next year going forward into 2022.
Mr Jenrick did caveat this news by insisting that local authorities are able to decide whether or not to enforce the increases. MP’s have been told that the 2021/22 annual settlement makes an extra £2.2billion available to fund the provision of Britain’s critical public services, including adult and children’s social care.
The shadow communities secretary Steve Reed has warned that local authorities are facing a considerable funding gap which will ‘inevitably’ lead to job losses, cuts and the closure of ‘treasured’ community assets, such as libraries and youth centres. Mr Reed told MPs: ‘Perhaps one of the most shocking aspects of the settlement is the Government’s plan to force councils to hike up council tax while the country still faces an unprecedented health crisis and the deepest recession for 300 years. The Government is proposing a council tax hike over twice the rate of inflation. The Conservatives have decided to clobber hard-working families when their jobs and incomes are already under extreme pressure. In return, those taxpayers will get fewer services’.
Mr Jenrick gives a different version of events. He said: ‘The settlement we’re announcing today ensures that councils have the resources they need to continue that work next year, to play their part in the recovery of their communities and to deliver first-class public services’.
Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!
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