The Department for Communities and Local Government yesterday announced that 64% of authorities had taken the government’s freeze grant, which is based on the equivalent of a 1% increase in rates. Offers of funding to freeze rates have been made from Whitehall to town halls since 2011/12, with similar proposition agreeing to the freeze cash as last year.
As a result, average council tax bills in England have fallen in real terms over the last five years, local government secretary Eric Pickles said today.
‘We have given extra government funding to those town halls that did the right thing and froze council tax for households, which has cut bills by 11% in real terms, meaning people have more money in their pocket and are no longer facing the threat of soaring bills.’
Responding to the figures, an LGA spokesman said local authorities had worked hard to keep bills down, but it was increasingly difficult to protect services amid cuts in funding.
‘Before long, the vast majority of council tax will be spent on social care, leaving little money for fixing the roads, running local youth centres or keeping the streetlights on.
‘If these popular everyday services are to survive the next few years, the next government must protect local government funding and give councils more financial freedom. It should no longer be the place of Whitehall to interfere in discussions between councils and their residents about how local services are paid for.’
