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Council leaders seek permission for 10% tax rise

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Cheshire East Council has applied to the government for permission to increase council tax by 9.99% this year.

An increase of more than 4.99% would have required the support of local residents, via a referendum, but local authorities in receipt of exceptional financial support from central government are able to ask permission from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to raise this limit.

There is no guarantee the government will give the go-ahead for the rise.

If it does, the increase would still have to be agreed at next month’s meeting of the full council which is when the budget is set – and voted on by all councillors.

A number of Conservative councillors have already indicated they would be strongly opposed to the proposed increase.

Conservative, Cllr Chris O’Leary said: “On Friday, this council submitted a request to the government to be allowed to have an excessive increase in council tax of 9.99 per cent for next year.”

Cllr O’Leary asked if the Labour and independent administration at Cheshire East Council would undertake an impact assessment on the proposed increase to establish the impact it would have on children in low income households.

Labour councillor, Cllr Carol Bulman responded: “It isn’t a done deal yet, of course, it’s a request.

“I would say that those in Band D properties who can afford to pay extra, should at this moment in time. People in lower bands… it will be two or three pounds a week.

“Yes, that’s a child’s school dinner money, it’s all relevant, it’s all significant in these hard times.”

She said Cheshire East offered a “very generous” means-tested council tax relief scheme for those who were struggling.

 

‘Moral duty’

 

Cllr Sarah-Bennett-Wake (Labour) added: “We’re here to look after children, and that’s our statutory duty. For me, it’s a moral duty as well.”

She said costs were rising and children’s care had to be funded.

Cllr Bennett-Wake also pointed to a report from council officers which indicated that if the authority had not frozen council tax under the Conservative administration between 2011/12 and 2015 it would have raised an extra £120m.

She added: “The issue here is there’s people who can pay won’t pay and there’s people who can’t pay will get assistance for that…

“But up to Band D it’s less than the price of a cup of coffee.”

Cllr O’Leary said the reason the Tories were able to freeze council tax was that it had been increased significantly by Labour between 1997 and 2010.

He added: “The message we’re getting today that if you live in a band D property, you should be able to afford an extra £15 a month, and you shouldn’t worry about that. You should just cough it up and pay for it.”

 

 

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