There is widespread agreement that Council tax is outdated, regressive, and long overdue for reform. The Government’s increasing reliance on council tax to fund local authorities is causing a disproportionately negative impact on funding levels for authorities in the most deprived areas of England. The Government’s imposition of referendum thresholds for increasing council tax is restricting local authorities’ abilities to raise sufficient funding to fulfil their statutory responsibilities, i...

There is widespread agreement that Council tax is outdated, regressive, and long overdue for reform. The Government’s increasing reliance on council tax to fund local authorities is causing a disproportionately negative impact on funding levels for authorities in the most deprived areas of England. The Government’s imposition of referendum thresholds for increasing council tax is restricting local authorities’ abilities to raise sufficient funding to fulfil their statutory responsibilities, in response to reductions in central Government grants, increased demand for services, and inflationary pressures. Type: conclusion | Number: 3 | Paragraph: 40 | Response status: not_accepted Government response: 5. The Government remains committed to improving the local government finance landscape in the next Parliament. The starting point for this work should be consideration of the purpose and functions of local government. The government confirmed in the Policy Statement of 2022 that in respo