Rendel blasts 'above inflation' council tax rise

3.36.04pm GMT Thu 12th Feb 2009

West Berkshire residents struggling to pay mortgages or facing unemployment will be furious to find they are faced with an average £46 increase on their council tax bill this year, according to Lib Dem Finance spokesperson David Rendel. The 3.9% increase announced yesterday is well above inflation now and within a few months inflation is expected to tumble towards zero.

"At the 2007 election the Tories won because they claimed they would keep Council Tax increases below the rate of inflation", commented Councillor Rendel. "Just two years later this pledge has been shown up as the fraud it always was. Moreover, just like last year the Tories have been given an extra £5 million in government grant to help them keep down Council Tax".

Other headlines in the budget included the hiking of parking charges to £1 an hour as well as the removal of the free bulky items waste collection. Councillor Rendel continued,

"New charges for collecting unwanted fridges and freezers from people's homes will simply increase the incentive for fly-tipping. The Tories claim to be environmentally friendly but their actions show they are the environment's bitterest enemies. Their 'Cleaner and Greener' slogan rings more hollow than ever before."

Councillor Rendel concluded that "Despite some tough financial times it is clearly possible to do more with less without punishing the tax payer - Liberal Democrat run Newbury Town Council and Thatcham Town Council have both managed to set much lower tax rises".