Local Government Settlement - Andrew Gwynne responds

Andrew Gwynne MP, Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, responding to the Local Government Finance Settlement announced in the House of Commons by James Brokenshire, Communities and Local Government Secretary, said:

“Today's announcement means only two things for households - an inflation busting increase in council tax, and no end in sight for austerity.  

"Local government is under enormous pressure because of politically motivated Tory cuts that have hit our poorest areas hardest since 2010. Councils have lost 60p out of every £1 that the last Labour Government invested in our communities.

“The council tax precept has already proven to be an inadequate and short-term sticking plaster for a problem which needs long-term solutions. Shifting the burden on to council tax payers creates a postcode lottery in services with the most deprived authorities suffering most.

“This Conservative Government won’t stand up for working people, and ordinary families are paying the price as councils are forced to cut services to fill the gap. It is time the Tories stepped aside for a Labour Government that will act in the interests of the many,not the few.”