Coalition stops excessive Council Tax increases

In a press release the Coalition outlines the way the Local Government will be allowed to increase Council Tax. This includes extra money to keep the Council Tax increases down to zero. In the case of HDC this could mean an extra £183,792.

That is the good news. What is good news for HDC council taxpayers and bad news for Conservative run HDC is the following from the press release:

"The news of funding for a council tax freeze comes ahead of Government plans to legislate in the next month's Localism Bill to give local residents new powers to veto excessive council tax rises that will replace Whitehall capping from 2012-13 onwards.  Until then the Secretary of State is clear he reserves the right to use capping powers against any individual authorities which ignore the freeze and set excessive council tax increases."


So the Coalition is carrying on the previous Governments capping regime until the referendum provisions come in. Yippee! 

The Conservative run HDC has got to get with it. Instead of moaning about the state it got itself in it should be planning, since the Coalition came to power, for the referendum it will need to up the Council Tax.