Labour responds to NAO report on ‘Local government finance in the pandemic’

Steve Reed MP, Labour’s Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, responding to the NAO’s report on ‘Local government finance in the pandemic’, said:

“Councils are facing a gaping hole in their budgets because the Government broke their promise to pay back the cost of getting communities through this crisis.

“The Conservatives cut council funding by 60 per cent over the past decade so town halls were already on the brink of financial disaster even before the pandemic. Now the Government is forcing local authorities to hike up council tax so hard-pressed families are left to pay the price of the Conservatives’ broken promises.

“Conservative council tax hikes right now risk choking off high-street spending just when we should be promoting economic recovery after the Government’s failures during the pandemic left our country facing the worst economic crisis of any major economy.