Council taxpayers will be forced to pay the price of “Tory failure” according to Southwark Council leader Kieron Williams, who has slammed the government’s Autumn budget.
London councils face an estimated £700 million funding shortfall and to plug the gap, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will allow local councils to accelerate council tax rises.
Southwark Council can now increase council tax five per cent annually, up from three per cent, but Cllr Williams says it’s unfair on council tax payers.
http://southwarknews.co.uk/news/politics/dont-take-your-failures-out-on-us-southwarks-demand-ahead-of-tomorrows-autumn-budget/
“Last week’s announcements set out a bleak picture of Tory failure. Under their watch, we are seeing the biggest fall in living standards since records began, and yet more cuts to vital public services,” he said.
He went on to accuse the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government of shirking its responsibilities aPreview (opens in a new tab)nd “leaving council taxpayers to pick up the bill”.
London Councils, a cross-party organisation representing the capital’s local authorities, said council tax rises are “not the answer to inadequate funding”.
Group chair Cllr Georgia Gould said: “Council tax rises during a cost-of-living crisis are extremely difficult for the struggling households we’re determined to support. But even if council tax goes up, it could never plug that £700m funding gap.
“Council tax is not the answer to the inadequate funding we’re grappling with.”
London Councils said that if boroughs were to try generating the £700 million from London’s council taxpayers, council tax bills would need to rise by around 18 per cent.
The Autumn budget also delays the implementation of adult social care funding reforms by two years until October 2025.
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Cllr Williams said the government had “reneged on their promise on social care” and “washed their hands of that responsibility”.
The government also announced that the cap on household energy bills would rise to £3,000 from April 2023, up from the current £2,500.
Southwark Council recently announced a series of cost-of-living support schemes, including the ‘Southwark Energy Savers Service’, which advises people who are struggling with energy bills,
It also announced phase two of its Cost of Living Fund, worth £2.7 million, targeting vulnerable residents missing out on government support.
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