New analysis by Labour ahead of today's local government finance
statement reveals the council tax bill is set to top £57 billion
under the Conservatives, more than double than under the last
Labour government.
The analysis of details hidden in the government’s Autumn
Statement, reveals that council tax bills under the Tories are
set to rise by almost £13 billion over the next five years.
According to this data, receipts from council tax will increase
from £44.7 billion in 2023/24 to £57.4 billion in 2028/29.
New data from Labour shows that the average council tax bill for
2023/24 set by a Labour controlled council is £345 lower than
average bills set by Conservative controlled councils.
This comes as government officials warned local authority leaders
that they expect the maximum 4.99 per cent increase to be applied
to council tax bills from April.
In 2009/10, the final year of the Labour government, council tax
raised £25.3 billion. According to the Office for Budget
Responsibility, council tax receipts will reach more than double
that level (£51.9 billion) in 2026/27. That is £3.5 billion more
than the OBR forecast just two years ago, in October 2021.
, Labour’s Shadow Deputy
Prime Minister and Shadow Levelling Up Secretary,
said:
“The Tories have left working people paying more for less, with
the council tax bill set to double since Labour was last in
government. After 14 years of economic mismanagement, any blame
for a rise in council tax lies squarely with this Conservative
government.
“Rishi Sunak’s raw deal has left working people worse off and
seeing the services they rely on crumbling around their ears.
Taxpayers counting the costs of this £57 billion Tory bombshell
while councils have been hollowed out by 14 years of failure.
“Labour is under no illusions about the scale of the problems
we'd inherit if we win the election when it comes to the crisis
in local government. There is no magic wand but instead a long,
hard slog to work with councils to rebuild from the ground up to
deliver the services taxpayers need and deserve.
“A Labour government will start by providing integrated, long
term funding settlements to local leaders, giving them greater
certainty and the ability to plan for the long-term.”
Ends
Notes:
- New data from Labour shows that the average council tax bill
for 2023/24 set by a Labour controlled council is £345 lower than
average bills set by Conservative controlled councils - data
set available on request.
