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Letter: Chance to freeze council tax bills
Over the coming weeks, local authorities across Yorkshire will be setting their council tax bills for the year ahead.
Last year, the Coalition Government offered additional funding to help councils freeze their council tax. Every eligible council took up the offer, saving a typical family up to £72 in council tax on a Band D home.
This year, the Government is offering councils another opportunity to freeze council tax, providing a further £675 million of extra funding to support a freeze.
Already half of all councils have signalled they will sign up to the freeze – and I congratulate those that have done so. A few are wobbling – having been lent upon by municipal officers who just want to fill their town hall coffers. I would encourage your readers to lobby their local councillors if they want to keep their tax bills frozen – their contact details can be found at: www.writetothem.com.
Hard-working families have to count the pounds and pennies at the end of the month. At a time when public and private sector workers are facing pay freezes, the last thing they need is to see their council tax bill get even bigger. This month, councils have an important opportunity to help hard-working families and pensioners with the cost of living. Anything less is a kick in the teeth to Leeds taxpayers.
Bob Neill MP, Minister for Local Government, Department for Communities and Local Government
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 2 comments to this article
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whirlygig
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 09:59 AMMr Neill, do you think readers are as daft as you? Are you not aware that Govt merely recycles money - take with one hand, return it with the other? So whilst you are happy to tell us you have £675m to give away you don't explain how this is being raised. VAT increase, domestic fuel increase (of which the Govt gets a5%) freezingremoving benefits, etc etc. all of which hits "hard working families" pockets.
tothepoint5
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 04:04 PMBob Neill, what happens to council tax in those authorities after the 1 year "bribe"? The local authority then has to introduce 2 years worth of increases in 1 year perhaps? Nobody likes to pay council tax, but lets be realistic here, every authority in the country is faced with a massive cut in their budgets and people like Bob Neill are playing the usual tory divide and conquer rule in the local papers to blame the councils for the impossible decisions they're being forced to make.
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