Rural and suburban areas of England could see tax hikes of up to £250, households have been warned
Homeowners residing in parts of the UK could face a massive tax hike of up to £250 as part of Angela Rayner’s controversial plan to make “mega councils”.
As a result of this plan, a lot of areas of rural and suburban England could see tax hikes of up to £250, reports Express.co.uk.
An analysis by the District Councils’ Network suggests that the average Band D bill in a council area with more than 500,000 people stands at £2,009, while those with smaller populations fork out £1,759.
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Last year, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), which was led by Ms Rayner until her resignation after revelations that she had underpaid stamp duty on her Hove property, put forward proposals aimed at streamlining local government.
The initiative, described as introducing “simpler structures,” was intended by its promoters to reduce bureaucratic complexity and boost efficiency in the delivery of public services.
Local authorities in 21 areas across southern England and the Midlands, where services are currently split between county and district councils, were told to suggest ways to merge into single, larger authorities.
These new bodies, nicknamed “mega councils” by critics, are anticipated to serve at least 500,000 people, although smaller versions have also been considered.
Despite Ms Rayner stepping down, the government still supports the plan, which could lead to council tax rises of up to £250 for people living in rural and suburban parts of the country.
Sam Chapman-Allen, chairman of the District Councils’ Network, said: “We are told that reorganisation should cut costs, but the evidence shows huge unitary councils, like those the Government envisages, land their residents with bigger council tax bills.”
Sir James Cleverly, the Tories ‘ local government spokesman, added: “Labour always thinks bigger government means better government.
“In reality, it means top-down restructuring that ignores local opinion, tramples over geography and identity, and lands families with higher bills, while there has been no evidence this approach will deliver better services.”
An MHCLG spokesman said: “Councils decide their own tax levels every year with a referendum threshold for proposed increases in place to protect taxpayers.
“The research cited has clearly misunderstood this basic concept.”
