The Morecambe & Lunesdale MP David Morris has today hit out at Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council for failing to freeze Council Tax.
Lancashire County Council has announced an increase of 1.99% which on a band D property, is an increase in real terms of £21.61 while Lancaster City Council have also increased their Council tax by 1.99% which equates to an increase of £3.91 for a band D property.
This increase comes despite the Government providing up to £550 million in extra Whitehall grants to local authorities that freeze their bills from April.
Responding to a question from David Morris MP yesterday, The Prime Minister Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP said:
“He can say this to Lancashire County Council and indeed to his District Council is that this Government are making the money available so that councils can freeze their council tax. There is no excuse for councils that do not want to take that step. They should help people, keep their bills down and make sure that the council tax is frozen.”
Speaking from Westminster David Morris MP said:
“This increase is simply ridiculous particularly when you consider that the Government is making £550 Million available to authorities that freeze their council tax. It means my constituents council tax will increase and my council tax will increase and that neither the Labour led Lancashire County Council or the Labour led Lancaster City Council will be eligible for this extra Government money.”
“Some authorities notably Windsor and Maidenhead are cutting the cost of council tax not increasing it.”
Last year Minister Brandon Lewis MP announced new plans to help councils freeze council tax:
“We expect local authorities to protect taxpayers and help bear down on the cost of living. That is why we have provided up to £550 million of extra funding to local authorities so they can freeze Council Tax for the next 2 years. This means we have provided an unprecedented 5 years of freeze funding worth potentially up to £1,100 for an average Band D taxpayer over the lifetime of Parliament.”
“I can also announce that the Secretary of State has agreed with the Chancellor that the funding for the next 2 freeze years will also be built into the spending review baseline. We hope this will give maximum possible certainty for councils that the extra funding for freezing Council Tax will remain available, and there will not be a ‘cliff edge’ effect from the freeze grant disappearing in due course. We have done our part – we now expect councils to do theirs in helping hard-working people with the cost of living.”
According to figures released by the Government, 251 councils have frozen council tax.