15 February 2015
With over three quarters of Councils planning to raise Council Tax to protect services in the run-up to the General Election (see Note 1 below), the Greens are challenging the alliance that runs Norfolk County Council to do the same.
The Greens have proposed Council Tax increases every year for the last four years, and this year are moving a Budget amendment to provide an injection of over £2.5million into Adult Care personal budgets. The Greens put forward a motion at the Council on October 20th to consider Council Tax for this year’s budget which was supported by Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors but not UKIP.
Councillor Richard Bearman, Leader of the Green Party Group on Norfolk County Council said, “We are challenging the Labour, LibDem and UKIP alliance to put Norfolk people first. The suffering of endless austerity cuts has to stop in Norfolk – now is the time. The problem is that UKIP are preventing Labour and the LibDems doing what they know in their heart of hearts is right – to raise Council Tax and save services for the elderly and children. “
The Greens say that UKIP’s influence at County Hall is forcing Norfolk to buck the current trend in which the majority of Councils, including many Conservative ones (see Note 1 below) are increasing Council Tax.
Councillor Andrew Boswell says “Other Councils of all political colours up and down the country have accepted that an increase in Council tax is the best thing to do for their residents. This year 80% of Counties raising Council Tax are Conservative led. Yet in Norfolk, it is UKIP and Conservative councillors who are holding back a desperately needed cash injection into Adult Care services that a modest Council Tax increase could give. I call upon these councillors to think again, to think of their residents, and support the Green amendment on Monday.”
Lesley Grahame, Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Norwich South, said: “The more local authorities take desperate measures ‘to cope’ with centrally imposed cuts, the more destructive cuts will be imposed from Whitehall. Austerity is losing credibility in European countries such as Greece and Spain, and also the UK. We need Green MPs in Westminster too, to counteract the ideological scam of austerity, and to fight for a different future.“
Notes
1. According to the Local Government Chronicle Tracker (see: http://www.lgcplus.com/news/finance/lgc-council-tax-tracker-2015/5079394.article) up to three-quarters of county councils are set to raise council tax in the run-up to the general election, defying government pleas to freeze the charge. Four-fifths of counties planning an increase are Conservative-run. Some examples of Counties increasing Council Tax are:
