Council Tax Rise Higher Than Inflation Again.

[Janus 28]

How do councils justify increasing the council tax by so much more than inflation?

Just received mine and it has gone up by 3.4%
 

[butlers 259]

Would imagine as the central gov.funding has fallen by about 25  percent over last decade it's inevitable to try to maintain services rather than cutting away at everything

It was a deliberate policy of the Torys to try and bring traditionally Labour urban councils to heel

[apelike 10]

1 hour ago, Janus said:

How do councils justify increasing the council tax by so much more than inflation?

Just received mine and it has gone up by 3.4%
 

Me bold. Just had a look at Rotherham as I believe that is where you live and it states 2.99% although it's not easy to determine from the letters sent out and depends on the tax band. In Sheffield where I live it states that the total increase is 4.99% excluding the increases for Police and Fire. Councils have also had to budget for help towards the Covid crisis.

 

Just noted also the the Police have a 7.9% increase and Fire 2.0% which should please some.

 

 

[Thirsty Relic 210]

1 hour ago, apelike said:

Just noted also the the Police have a 7.9% increase and Fire 2.0% which should please some.

It certainly doesn't please me that, while the Council has limited its increase (despite extra demands placed on it during the pandemic), the Police budget has risen dramatically, despite less of us out to police (most of us are at home most of the time, so burglaries and other crime is down as a result). 

 

If anything, I would have thought less crime = less overtime = less overall costs, so perhaps a decrease in the Police bill.

 

Anybody got a link to something that tries to justify this rise?

[Janus 28]

3.4% on the bill that arrived today,

[Janus 28]

I think the local authorities got a funding grant for covid. I don't know to what degree  it  helped.

[apelike 10]

1 hour ago, Janus said:

I think the local authorities got a funding grant for covid. I don't know to what degree  it  helped.

As always with local councils, although they may get a grant towards covid related costs they are always complaining of being underfunded by the government so have to increase CT.

[El Cid 214]

4 hours ago, apelike said:

As always with local councils, although they may get a grant towards covid related costs they are always complaining of being underfunded by the government so have to increase CT.

As this thread shows, people dont really know what their council tax pays for. It usually includes fire and police services, which increase/decrease differently.

[Delbow 693]

9 hours ago, Janus said:

How do councils justify increasing the council tax by so much more than inflation?

Just received mine and it has gone up by 3.4%
 

Have you not read how much in central government money councils have lost since 2010? 50-60% for some councils. Their finances are in tatters, they have to try and get money from somewhere.

[Janus 28]

It seems the public pay their dues & demands to the governmement.  Then because of 

austerity   the public

 have to pay again. I don't think austerity affects the MPs salary of over 80K per year.

 

[Guest]

Ours is up 4.91% v 2020

 

Was expecting it to be higher this year, its £11 per month more - not happy but not much that can be done.

[Janus 28]

When I read your post Mr Fisk, it made  start thinking about the recent protests.

 

The mass protesting against the Poll tax years ago seemed to work. At least it was changed-coincidence or otherwise. Wasn't that on the 'Iron lady's' watch?

 

It could happen again, especially if the public are being squeezed so much.

There certainly seems to be enough people  willing to congregate  at these protests at present.

 

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