Councils line up to freeze council tax

摘要

Communities secretary, Eric Pickles, this week published a list of 152 authorities which have signed up to his offer to freeze council tax, praising them for helping hard-pressed families. And with little more than a month until councils' final budget decisions, Mr Pickles said he expected the number to 'increase significantly'. 'Every councillor still to decide [on the offer] has an obligation to keep the living costs of their residents down, and take the freeze money,' Mr Pickles said. 'A vote against a freeze is a vote for a punitive tax rise when typical bills are already around ￡120 a month.' Under Mr Pickles' tax freeze plan, councils which agree not to increase their local rates by more than 2.5% will receive a government grant covering their increase - so that it is not passed on to residents. Manchester City Council this week became the latest influential authority to sign up to the tax freeze.