Time to get fleeced again. RIP if you're in Birmingham and Woking I guess. Sky news:
Nearly every local authority with responsibility for social care in England is planning to raise council tax by the maximum this April.
Data compiled by the County Councils Network (CCN) found 95% of councils that have so far published their budget proposals (129 out of 136) want to raise council tax by the maximum permitted without a referendum - 4.99%.
These changes will mean that the average Band D household faces an increase of £103 over the year.
The CCN warned councils are still facing a collective funding gap of £1.1bn over the next two years.
Councillor Sam Corcoran, vice-chair of the CNN, said councils were having to make "some of their toughest decisions ever".
Where is going up less than 4.99%?
Separate
research by the Local Government Chronicle has identified five councils so far that have all proposed increases below the cap:
- In Labour-run Rochdale MBC, council tax will go up by 4.99% but all bills will receive a one-off 2% discount for this year.
- In Hartlepool BC (Con), council tax will go up by just under 2.99% - the full social care levy of 2% plus 0.99%.
- Tower Hamlets LBC (Aspire) is putting council tax up by 2.99% alongside the 2% social care precept, but will have a relief fund available to households with an income below £49,500.
- Stockton-on-Tees (Lab) and Nottinghamshire (Con) have both proposed rises just below the referendum cap at 4.95% and 4.8%.
What about councils that don't look after social care?
If you live in an area covered by a district council which doesn't have social care duties, your council tax can only go up by a maximum of 2.99% without a referendum. Again, most of these councils in Chronicle research said they were raising council tax by the full amount.
Exceptions noted by the Local Government Chronicle so far are
Adur DC, which is proposing a 1.99% increase, and
Lichfield DC, which has modelled a 1.99% increase for its budget consultation, but according to leader Doug Pullen it is likely to go for "perhaps 2.8% based on current thinking".
Harlow BC, Fenland DC and Harborough DC have all announced that they plan to freeze council tax this year,
according to the Chronicle.
Where will it go up by more?
The government is allowing
Birmingham and
Woking to raise council tax by up to 10% - and
Thurrock and
Slough can put bills up 8%. All have effectively declared themselves bankrupt.
What about Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Councils in Wales must plug funding gaps of nearly £360m in 2024-25.
The caps don't apply - so proposed hikes vary wildly from 3% in
Cardiff to between 16% and 21% in
Pembrokeshire - a record.
In Northern Ireland,
Mid and East Antrim has the highest uplift in household rates at 9.78%.
Lisburn and
Castlereagh is the lowest at 3.98%.
In
Scotland, the devolved government announced a council tax freeze for the coming year.
