Millions of families are facing hideous council tax increases from next month.
Nine in ten local authorities are set to increase the levy by as much as 5% to help pay for social care, it was revealed recently.
According to new research, 9% of homes will face hikes of up to £100 a year to cover local services and for caring for people in the community. The grossly unfair rises will take the average band D property bill across England to £1,680, an increase of £80.
Critics said the rises would “rightly enrage” the public.
The rises have been ushered in to take advantage of new powers to top up charges with money ring-fenced for social care. But critics questioned whether local authorities were really doing all they could to spend residents’ money wisely.
John O’Connell of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “Local councils have faced pressures on their finances because of the lack of a long-term plan for how to reform and provide social care.
“But when at the same time, local politicians see it fit to raise their allowances by over 50% in some cases, it rightly enrages taxpayers.”
“What critics have failed to mention is the amount of money that is wasted by local authorities pandering to the needs of immigrants. If the true figures that are squandered on foreigners for benefits, housing, health care, schooling and translation services, etc. were to be released, I am sure there would be a public outcry. Only BNP policies can reduce the amount of money people are being forced to pay in council tax” commented BNP Chairman Adam Walker.
Only 22 of the 353 local authorities in England are freezing council tax in the coming year.
And just one, East Hampshire Council, has said it is cutting the amount.
The new figures show a 180-degree turnaround from 2012/13, when 9 out of 10 councils froze or cut council tax and just 35 raised it. The survey, by the Press Association, found that of the 152 local authorities able to raise bills by up to an extra 3% to fund social care, more than two-thirds are implementing the full amount.
It also showed 73 of these councils are also raising basic council tax by the maximum they are allowed, 1.99% – making a total increase of 4.99 percent. The 23 authorities where bills are being frozen or cut said they had proven what could be achieved.
In order to end the social care problem many councils are facing the BNP would:
- End the scandal of elderly people being forced to sell their homes to afford nursing care.
- Encourage active pensioners to continue working beyond retirement age, on favourable tax terms.
- Raise the guaranteed state pension to £150 per week and restore the link to average wages.
- Reduce the current annual allowance for tax relief on pension contributions to £100,000, benefiting those who manage to save the least.
- Combine health and social care and bring both under the authority of the NHS.
We would also give serious consideration to the redistribution of the yearly £13 BILLON ring – fenced foreign aid budget and the billions wasted on benefits for immigrants. Instead, we would spend it on those most in need here in Britain.
Charity begins at home!
