Local authorities should be given greater powers over ‘unfair’ council tax, MPs warn
Councils should be given more control on the Council tax on the Council tax, claiming that the connection between MPs, local accusations and the risks of service quality that weakens the foundations of local democracy is advocated.
An investigation into the financial sustainability of the local government concluded that temporary powers should be divided into councils before a more comprehensive revision of what it defines as “the most unfair and regressing taxes in the UK” today.
The report of the joint houses, communities and local government committee proposed to re -evaluate property in the regions of individual authorities, define property bands, determine the rates for these groups and discount applications.
Beyond the Council tax, the overthrow of wider financial powers such as the report, a tourism tax ability to implement a tourism tax should take the increasing financial coercion on local government, which further worsened with the bitch squeezing measures introduced in the 2010s.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner recently expressed the support of “more push” for the financial revolution by adapting to the government’s commitment commitment.
In addition, the Committee argued that central government bells are replaced by “meticulous accountability system”.
This will ensure that local authorities are held responsible for achieving the agreed results within their general budget, rather than only to meet their expenditure targets.
The Council tax invoice reached 5 percent in a row for the third year, because almost all councils increased invoices or increased the maximum permissible value.
The re -valuation of property has been called for a long time, and the Council tax bands in the UK are still based on property values in 1991.
The Institute of Financial Research found that the most expensive properties (band H) have increased the most, but now eight times higher, but at least in the most valuable (Band A).
“The Council Tax is therefore extremely decline in terms of both more and more arbitrary and property values,” he added.
An analysis of a recent analysis by the district council network, an analysis that allows councils to manage and keep the taxes produced locally, will increase funds for services more than 4 billion £ more than 4 billion and “super charging” economic growth.
Florence Eshalomi, the head of the committee of the Committee, said: “While residents are increasingly paying in taxes, but when they see less in daily services such as correcting libraries and pits, local democracy is at risk of confidence and slimming.
“The government in the UK is extremely centralized. The current financial pressures on local government are largely due to mandatory, high -cost, demand -led services, such as social care and special education needs or disabled people, such as disabled people.
“Councils are stuck in a throat by the central government, and local authorities do not have flexibility or control to design creative, long -term, preventive solutions that can offer better value for money.
“As a country, if we will grow and develop local services, we need to have more power to alleviate Westminster’s understanding and to control their own business and to be responsible to their voters.”
In the report, the government called the government to reconsider the decision of freezing local housing allowance rates and expand the support of acquiring new housing stock through the local authority housing fund.
Responding to findings, the local government Association (LGA) said that the findings provide more evidence of the fragile state of local government financing.
LGA Economics and Resources Committee Chairman Pete Marland said: “More financial certainty and a simpler financing system are important. However, all councils are pressure to try and protect services to make more deductions and are under pressure to increase the tax invoices and faces.
“A sustainable, long -term financial model for local government should lead to all councils with sufficient resources to meet increased cost and demand pressure.”
The London council, representing 32 districts of the capital, said that the report shows that the report is “delayed, but expressed concerns about the government’s plans to change the way financing is distributed.
Claire Holland, President of the London Councils, said: “The government’s plans to reform the Council financing is very important to ensure that they get financing that really matches the needs and rapidly rising costs and pressures to the needs of local areas.
“It is right for the government to target deprivation in the new formula, but we are concerned that the measures used in existing proposals will not adequately explain London’s extreme housing poverty enough.
“This may mean that London stays without the financing we need to provide vital local services and return to financial stability.”
A housing, the Ministry of Community, Communities and Local Government spokesman said: “The government is taking a decisive action to correct the broken council financing system in order to provide vital public services that local leaders trust communities.
“We have announced more than 5 billion £ new grant finance for more than £ 69 billion to increase the council financing this year, and we will continue to reform the financing system to make it suitable for the future.
“This will enable the councils to receive the support they need, and to protect the inhabitants from more costs by maintaining a 5% limit to the amount where the council tax can be increased without a referendum.”
