Starmer accused of ‘passing the buck' as council tax likely to rise
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has distanced himself from expected large increases in local taxation, shifting responsibility to councils.
Councils can increase council tax by up to 5 per cent following last week's spending review, with the police also granted powers to raise extra funds through a similar precept.
The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned of the biggest rise in council tax for two decades as a result of the spending review.
Sir Keir said that council tax rises are for councils to decide, noting the spending review allows the Labour government to show what difference it makes after a year of stabilising the economy.
The Local Government Association and Lib Dems criticised the move, saying 'passing the buck to local government and asking hard-pressed households to shoulder the burden of mounting council tax bills is deeply unfair'.
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