Four authorities have been given permission to raise council tax above the referendum limit to meet their spending needs next year, but one request was rejected.
An outdated funding model has pushed councils into a financial crisis and requires fundamental reform – not simply increasing the reliance on a regressive council tax system – a group of MPs has said.
An inadequate funding settlement means councils face “serious challenges” including further cuts to balance their 2024-25 budgets, the Local Government Association has said.
A county council will issue a Section 114 notice unless the government grants its requests for extra flexibility, officers have warned as they work on the authority’s upcoming budget.
A proposal to freeze council tax next year risks “compounding councils’ ongoing underfunding”, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities has warned while criticising the lack of engagement with...
Proposals to raise council tax rates for properties in the highest bands in Scotland shy away from the fundamental reform local taxation needs, researchers have said.
First minister Humza Yousaf is set to let Scottish councils double council tax on second homes, and will develop “alternative governance arrangements” for island authorities.
Proposals to increase council tax rates in Scotland will impact the highest value properties and make the levy less regressive, ministers and local leaders have said.
Welsh local government funding faces shake-ups hoped to “eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy”, show the devolved administration trusts authorities and make the council tax system fairer.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has pledged to use a “proper” windfall tax to fund council tax freezes for households in England next year if the party is elected.
A council leader has criticised “civil servant and Treasury orthodoxy” in his resignation statement, saying he refuses to implement “maximum council tax and cuts to services”.
Allowing three struggling local authorities to raise council tax beyond the normal limit only pushes the cost of their failure onto residents, experts have said.
Councils need additional income-raising powers and longer-term funding allocations in order to run sustainably, so the local government settlement remains a missed opportunity, senior figures in the...
Reserves nearly tripling at the Greater London Authority as it repeatedly raised council tax has prompted calls to ensure the funds are “used more effectively” in next year’s budget to avoid putting...
Police funding issues cannot be solved by relying on police and crime commissioners raising council tax, and experts have warned that the system creates a postcode lottery of services that threatens...
Two struggling local authorities are set to request the government’s permission to raise council tax rate by more than the normal limit without triggering a local referendum.