The Government promised to do whatever was necessary and support councils during this pandemic. The Prime Minister is breaking that promise with this Council Tax rise.

The reality for many families is that finances are not resilient. A quarter of all UK households went into the COVID crisis with less than £100 in the bank and 3.6 million people, nationally, were trapped in insecure work. After the worst recession of any major economy and with the virus still not under control, families up and down the country are worried about paying the bills. You would hope the Government is acting swiftly to change this situation.

Local leaders are being forced to raise Council Tax to protect vital local services just when many families are already struggling to make ends meet. Forcing councils to hit families with a Council Tax rise in the middle of a pandemic is wrong.

I am calling for the Government to scrap this planned Council Tax rise and stand by their pledge to do whatever necessary to support Councils.

Increasing Council Tax now, along with a £1,000 a year cut to Universal Credit and a pay freeze for key workers, will leave families across the country with less money in their pockets. Not only is that a poor reward for those who have sacrificed so much during this crisis, it is economically illiterate – our shops and small businesses need people to go out and buy their goods and services, not tighten their belts. These tax rises risk choking off the recovery before it’s even begun.