Green councillors have today condemned what they describe as a ‘Labour-Tory stitch-up’ nearly doubling the council tax Brighton & Hove’s poorest working households must pay.
A council committee meeting this afternoon (4th December) is set to consider the ‘Council Tax Reduction Scheme’, which ensures that those on the lowest incomes only have to pay a proportion of their council tax bill. Labour and the Tories are planning to increase the rate from 8.5% to 15%, meaning a deprived family in a Band D property would now need to find £230 a year.
Official figures show that the five worst affected wards are:
East Brighton – 1616 families
Queens Park – 1435 families
St Peter’s & North Laine – 1234 families
Moulsecoomb and Bevendean – 1229 families
Hollingdean & Stanmer – 1095 families
Councillor Ollie Sykes, Lead Member for Finance said: “It’s appalling that Labour are collaborating with the Tories to transfer wealth from the poorest to the richest. These are local people who are working in low-paid jobs, desperate to make ends meet. Just like the Government, who today announced a freeze in support for working families, Labour and the Tories locally are lining up to hammer the poorest in our communities.
“It’s astonishing that they’re happy to nearly double council tax for the poorest families in our city, but won’t support a modest single figure rise for those that can better afford it, in order to keep vital local services running.”
Notes
A family in Band D currently pays £130.66 a year, and under the Labour-Tory proposals for Policy & Resources Committee this would rise to £230.57 a year.
For further information please contact the Brighton and Hove Green Party office on 01273 766 670.