Millions of UK households issued brutal £523 council tax bombshell

Office for Budget Responsibility documents suggest the amount raised from council tax is set to reach £57.4billion – double what is was under Labour.

The amount taken in council tax since the Tories came to power has more than DOUBLED to £523. Office for Budget Responsibility documents suggest the amount raised from council tax is set to reach £57.4billion – double what is was under Labour.

Angela Rayner said the Tories have “left working people paying more for less, with the council tax bill set to double since Labour was last in government”. The Labour Deputy Leader told the Mirror: “After 14 years of economic mismanagement, any blame for a rise in council tax lies squarely with this Conservative government.”

The amount will reach £57.4billion by 2028, which will be more than twice the £25.3billion it was in 2009. An analysis by the Labour Party shows this will work out as an average £523 extra per household when adjusted for inflation.

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Ms Rayner went on: “Rishi Sunak’s raw deal has left working people worse off and seeing the services they rely on crumbling around their ears. Taxpayers counting the costs of this £57billion Tory bombshell while councils have been hollowed out by 14 years of failure.

“Labour is under no illusions about the scale of the problems we’d inherit if we win the election when it comes to the crisis in local government.” Council tax in Birmingham is likely to increase by up to 10% after the government allowed the local authority to bypass the national cap without the need for a local referendum.

Robert Alden, leader of the opposition Conservative group in the city, said the council had resorted to a “tax bombshell on Brummies” to balance the books. Michael Gove said it was “disappointing that Birmingham city taxpayers are having to foot the bill for the council’s poor governance and decision-making”.

“Whilst the government will not oppose this request given the seriousness of the circumstances, any decision to increase council tax is solely one for Birmingham city council, who should have taken into account the pressures that people in Birmingham are currently facing on living costs,” he said.