#council-tax

#council-tax

The average council tax bill is set to top 2,000 for the first time next month as local authorities buckle under growing financial pressures.Government figures released on Thursday show the average bill for band D properties will be 2,065 in 2023-24 up by 99.Households in metropolitan areas outside London will see bills rise by 5.1 per cent to an average of 2,059, while rural parts of the country will see an increase of 5 per cent to just below 2,140.

The average council tax bill is set to top 2,000 next month as local authorities buckle under growing financial pressures.Government figures released on Thursday show the average bill for band D properties will be 2,065 in 2023-24 up by 99.Households in metropolitan areas outside London will see bills rise by 5.1 per cent to an average of 2,059, while rural parts of the country will see an increase of 5 per cent to just below 2,140.

The three candidates running to be Scotland's next first minister are being urged to commit to making sure public services remain a priority.Leaders of the trade union Unison made the plea to current Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and former community safety minister Ash Regan as the contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon continues.

Passengers using public transport in London face an average hike in fares of 5.9% from March 5 under proposals announced by mayor Sadiq Khan.The plan means the weekly cap for using buses and trams in the capital is set to increase by 1.40 to 24.70.London Underground passengers will see the weekly cap for travel in zones one and three rise by 3 to 48.

London Underground Prices and London Bus fares will increase in March (Image: PA) Commuters will have to spend more to travel across London in the coming months after plans to increase fare prices were announced.It comes to an average fare hike of 5.9% from March 5 under new proposals confirmed by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

A postcode lottery is seeing areas suffering the most from crime facing tax rises to pay for local policing, the Police Federation has warned.The government has announced an annual funding increase of up to 523m for local forces in England and Wales, but the figure relies on increases to council tax that could generate 349m.

Opposition parties have renewed their calls for the government to close a loophole in its windfall tax on energy giants after BP said it made more than half-a-billion pounds more than expected in just three months.The oil giant said it made just under 4bn in underlying profit between January and March, citing a strong performance in its oil trading business.

Energy companies are making 60m in profits a day from operations in the North Sea and should be paying more in tax to fund a freeze on council tax for cash-strapped households, according to Labour.Labour's call comes before the latest financial updates from Shell and BP this week.The energy companies are expected to report more bumper profits to the London market due to the spike in prices caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

More than half the public expects the Conservatives to lose seats at the local elections on Thursday, a poll suggests.Some 55% of people told Ipsos UK that they thought the Tories would lose seats while just 9% thought the party would make gains.The picture for Labour was much better, with 45% saying they expected the party to pick up council seats.

The cost of everyday essentials have gone up by 3,500 over the last three years, Labour has said.The party said official data shows that since December 2019, housing, fuel and power have gone up by 1,480 while food and non-alcoholic drinks have increased by 700.Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the figures are a mark of 13 years of Tory failure that have left families worse off, public services on their knees and brilliant British businesses on the brink.

Sir Keir Starmer branded Rishi Sunak Mr One Percent as the Labour leader launched his party's campaign for the May local elections.With Labour hoping to pick up seats in the May 4 polls in England, Sir Keir sought to contrast its approach with the Tories' decision in the Budget to ease pension taxes for the well-off with the scrapping of the tax-free lifetime allowance cap.

Labour does not plan to increase capital gains tax, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has indicated, despite deputy leader Angela Rayner appearing to suggest rates were too low.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week released a summary of his tax affairs, which showed that his tax rate was about 22% because most of his earnings came from capital gains which are taxed at a lower rate than income.

Sir Ed Davey joked that heavy machinery would be required to clean up the mess left by the Conservatives as he took a ride in a tractor to launch his local election campaign.The Liberal Democrat leader is targeting Tory voters who he claims have been betrayed by the Government ahead of May's council contests in England.

T he leader of Newham's Green party walked out of the borough's full council meeting on Monday night after being repeatedly misgendered by Labour councillors.Danny Keeling, who is non-binary, accused colleagues of discrimination following the meeting.The Stratford Olympic Park councillor was speaking against Newham Labour's budget plans when they were referred to as he by council chairman Winston Vaughan.

Businesses across England could be saddled with bills for around 150 a year under new Government proposals intended to help them with their tax.A requirement for businesses to update the Government annually could cost a total of around 300 million a year, analysis by Gerald Eve, a real-estate advisory company, has found.

A variety of stories feature on Friday's front pages from the rise in interest rates and council tax topping 2,000, to a wealthy Nigerian politician and his wife facing jail for an organ-harvesting plot.The Daily Telegraph reports that Labour's deputy leader suggested that the party should raise tax on savings and investments.

C roydon Council is not joining five other London councils taking legal action against the Ulez expansion - because, it says, it cannot afford to.The local authority was left 1.6 billion in debt when Labour lost power last May.The bankrupt council has for months opposed the Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion to outer London boroughs, which the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) aims to roll out by August.

S adiq Khan is facing calls to respond to the cost-of-living crisis by rethinking plans to increase his share of council tax bills by almost 40 a year.Mr Khan has indicated that a 38.55 rise in his share of average bills could be imposed from April, increasing the amount that goes to City Hall by 9.7 per cent, a record amount since he became mayor, ands taking his total demand at Band D to 434.

A previously announced plan to raise council tax bills in London to help fund Transport for London (TfL) as it recovers from the pandemic has received government approval.As part of the negotiations with the government over TfL funding, last December, the Mayor proposed plans to increase council tax in London by £20 a year over the next three years.

Raising council tax is "not the solution" to long-term pressures as finances remain "critical", say London councils.In the Autumn Statement announced on Thursday, the threshold on council tax will be raised to 5%.Borough leaders said the rise would put immense pressure on already hard-stretched residents.

Transport for London ( TfL) expects to break into an operating surplus in 2023/4 as revenues recover from the pandemic but is warning that infrastructure investments are still at risk due to long-term uncertainty.Across the coming financial year, TfL's predicted £9.1bn in revenue will cover its expected £7.9bn

For rent? (Photographer: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images Europe)The housing charity Shelter has its headquarters in Old Street, just a short distance from some of London's oldest social housing projects.Today, the few remaining social tenants rub shoulders with Britain's wealthiest tech entrepreneurs.Yet the outward calm of Shelter's offices and the prosperity of many passersby belies the turmoil in the UK's housing market and in particular the rental sector.

Political correspondent, BBC News

Millions of households are facing an increase in their council tax from April, as local authorities try to balance their books.The County Councils Network (CCN) found three-quarters of English councils with social care duties that have published budget details are planning a 5% hike.

Image source, PA Media Image caption, The move means millions of Londoners will face council tax hikes of more than 100 from April More than two-thirds of London's local authorities will increase council tax by the maximum possible amount next financial year, the BBC has found.Twenty-three of 33 councils will raise bills by 4.99%, the maximum increase normally allowed without seeking permission through a referendum.

L ondon is expected to see the highest and lowest council tax increases in the country this year, analysis revealed on Tuesday.While Croydon residents will be hit by a record 15 per cent rise in bills, those in Tower Hamlets and Westminster will see their payments go up by just two per cent.The majority of Londoners face a five per cent hike in their council tax from April, as town halls seek to balance their books.

Leaders at the UK's richest local authority have laid out plans to freeze their part of council tax and to make a one-off 100 payment to all households in Bands A to D. The flagship Conservative town hall has endorsed a 2 per cent rise to fund social care, but has proposed not adding the extra 3 per cent it is allowed to this year to pay for general council costs.