To think council tax rises are a joke

[lljr82]

Another huge inflation busting rise in council tax, but they've closed the library, not fixed loads of potholes, reduced rubbish collecting, social care is apparently poorly funded, the school has to beg for money at the start of each term, closed the fire station, closed a hospital nearby, reduced police numbers and won't even visit when my car was broken into even though there should be CCTV footage of it.

It just seems like a joke. Where is the money going?

Central government has cut the council budgets by nearly 50% in some areas. This means slashing services and raising council tax. From the sounds of it you may live in the same area as me. It doesn't help that the council appears very corrupt and there is a lot of wastage along with the cuts.

Council tax revenue accounts for only about 13% of my city's spending.

Most of the rest comes from central government grants and those have fallen drastically in recent years. By billions overall, country-wide. It's quite well known.

There's a prize for the first mention (not counting this one obvs) of Brexit on this thread - let's see how long it takes.

Ours has gone up 250 a year. It bites to begin with, but our area has a massive shortfall due to a disproportionately aging population and massive social care costs. It's annoying but one of the prices of a 'civilised' society.

YANBU!! Just got my new bill in. It’s ridiculous! Daylight robbery!!

Many of the things you mention in the OP are not funded by council tax though.

Sorry yes I know it's not all coming from council tax, but all I see is things slashed to the bone and bills coming in. All while the country is getting into more and more debt.

My council are so annoying inept, the time I was due a council tax discount they made it so difficult to claim and couldn't do basic sums so after months of sorting it out loads of forms and letters I finally got my discount only backdated by a month and a week later I was no longer eligible for it so even more work to cancel it and then was presented a larger bill as they took so long to cancel it. It boils my piss.

Yes agree with the wastage and corruption, but it seems like they don't want to address that.

My council just raised taxes too and I think it's fair enough. They're trying to do more with less and less money from central government. Homelessness and deprivation need dealing with and it costs money to do it.

My council resisted increases for years and maintained weekly rubbish collections. They also seem to be trying to deal with fly tipping, although not massively successfully. There's lots of things they could do better eg our only cycle path off our estate is unlit making it unusable in winter and the road is too unsafe to cycle on (accidents every week).

But the poor state of local policing and the hospital are not their doing.

We need council tax rises to pay for things. It's not that hard to understand.

My council has increased rates by 3%, which is just a few quid a month (about £4 extra for me, Band C)
I'd happily pay slightly more if it meant the council had more of the funding it needs I've heard a lot of people complaining about the rise in the last fortnight and don't really understand it tbh.

Northamptonshire CC has just gone bust and it looks as if it's going to be dissolved. They're trying to blame the councillors when it's actually the massive cuts in government funding to blame.

i hate this, its a way of putting up taxes without be honest.
i wouldn't mind if it was going into adult social care.....but it isn't

But it's a couple of percent every year compounded. Making the yearly rises have a huge affect now on my budget.

They want you to believe it's a few extra pounds and it will go towards something worthwhile.

Maybe I just don't notice it so much because it's Band C.

Noticing the increases in food and fuel prices a lot more. Council tax is the least of my worries tbh

In Scotland over half of the Council tax bill pays for council employees company pensions.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/9896822/More-than-half-council-tax-swallowed-up-by-pensions.html
England and Wales are not far behind....

well they have to plug the shortfall in funding somehow - our council lost another 17 million this year - so would you get rid of adult social care or children's services? Or pay an extra £4 a month

Oh so it's paying for all those generous final salary pensions?

Just got my bill and it's shot up too. That and we are now having 4 weekly rubbish collections and weekly recycle collections. It's going to be a smelly summer at the beach if we get any heat. The seagulls will be going crazy.

While I know the reasons for the increase which is the Government deliberately cutting funding to local government, I still think the increases are outrageous. Particularly when libraries, day centres, Surestart centres are closing. I do wonder exactly what we are paying for. The large county town near where I live has a very unpleasant vibe at present. Unfortunately there are people with complex needs who are not getting the services they require, and it is creating quite an intimidating atmosphere around the town main car park and library. (They are very vocal and display intimidating and anti-social behaviour, including leaving drug paraphernalia in the public toilets)> This is part of what I pay my taxes for, so they can be helped. However with the funding cuts some of the services they need are no longer there, or the people with the relevant expertise to help them. Sad and depressing.

YABU.

Do you have any idea how much it costs local authorities to provide adequate care for looked after children? There are hardly any LA fosterers so councils have to outsource fostering payments at huge cost and often also then foot the bill for transporting said kids to school in order to remain near friendship etc. Emergency placements cost a fortune, but go ahead as kids need to come first.

I agree most LAs are not as efficiently run as they could be, but i believe they’re -on the whole- trying their best.

I think that an answer is more joined up thinking between nhs, local authorities, emergency services etc as all the money ends up being spent anyway. Eg I watched a 999 programme about homeless people. They ended up arresting the guy who then spent the night in the cells. Their other option was to get an ambulance out. So the cost of that was around £300-500? But surely providing hostels or B an Bs at maybe £30 would be a better preventative option?

I don’t know what the answer is but slagging off councils isn’t it

I'd rather they consolidated services to save money addressed other wastes and corruption. But they don't seem be doing any of that.

Ours has just gone up by just shy £40 a month!

Mine has gone up, the bins only get collected every two weeks now, the residents cut the verge weeds and grass, the buses have stopped on one route, the library closes for a day in the week now, most carehomes here are privately funded and there is a massive shortage of home help available. Two tiny community part time police stations have closed down,and rhe big manned one has been demolished. Even the cubs and scouts are asking for donations although they might not be council funded.

£40! Bloody hell, how much do you pay a month!