I am livid — but quite honestly not one bit surprised. What unfolded in our town hall on Wednesday night was something that in the coming weeks will be replicated across the country. Despite Sir Keir Starmer ’s vows when he was grasping for your vote that councils would not be hiking taxes under his watch , local authorities across the land will be raising their council tax by 5% - the maximum allowed without triggering a referendum.
In fact nine in 10 areas are facing the maximum council tax rise in England, with the majority of councils indicating that they will apply a 4.99% increase this year. Some councils have even received special permission to hike them by an astonishing 10% - Birmingham, Woking, Slough and Thurrock.
Middlesbrough has a Labour-run council and, as a Conservative councillor, I did of course try my best to stop the budget from being passed. But it was all to no avail. The Labour councillors were positively gleeful as they passed their budget that they’ve now dubbed their "Growth Budget".
Yeah! growth of Middlesbrough residents' council tax bills! It would be funny if the whole thing wasn’t so tragic. Of course it’s essential to say that it’s so very easy to shout from the sidelines and berate the councillors who are running the show, while offering no real alternatives. I have been in their position when I was deputy mayor of Middlesbrough and setting a balanced budget is no easy feat.
But although we always had the option of setting it at th.
