Town halls face tough council tax choices

Recession ‘muting council tax hikes’

Recession ‘muting council tax hikes’

By politics.co.uk staff

Council tax rises could average as low as 1.6 per cent this year, research suggests.

A survey by the Local Government Chronicle puts the likely annual increase at its lowest level for over a decade.

London councils could even introduce cuts in council tax of 0.2 per cent, according to the survey.

District councils plan a 2.03 per cent hike and county councils a 1.85 per cent increase. Unitary authorities’ average predicted increase stands at 2.63 per cent.

Looming elections are said to be a major factor for councils keen to avoid the damaging prospect of council tax hikes amid a recession.

The London School of Economics’ Tony Travers told the Local Government Chronicle he feared local authorities were in a “race to the bottom”.

“I would expect the national average to be between one per cent and two per cent and, because there are local elections, I would not be surprised if the average in London was below zero,” he said.