Shropshire Star

Labour councillors in Telford back ‘Stop the squeeze’ campaign calling for 'an end to unfair council tax rises'

Labour councillors in Telford and Wrekin are backing a nationwide campaign to demand "an end to unfair council tax rises" in next week’s budget.

Published
Councillor Richard Overton

The Stop the squeeze campaign, launched this week at stopthecounciltaxfreeze.com, calls on the government to help local families by keeping council tax bills down, and a petition has also been drawn up.

Labour council leaders will deliver it directly to Downing Street ahead of the budget statement.

The political party says family budgets are being squeezed to bursting by sky-high energy bills, the £20 a week cut to Universal Credit, and the new Tory tax hike on National Insurance.

Councillor Richard Overton, deputy leader of the Labour Group in Telford & Wrekin, said: “Enough is enough. Here in Telford & Wrekin household budgets are being squeezed to bursting by sky-high energy bills, the £20 a week cut to Universal Credit, and the new Tory tax hike on National Insurance.

"People can’t take any more.

“Thanks to the Conservatives, council tax bills have increased more than £220 since 2019, the year that Boris Johnson became Prime Minister.

"Yet incredibly the Tories want to hammer working families again – at the worst possible time.

“We do everything they can to stretch budgets further, but government cuts to funding mean we are forced to make millions in savings.

"They expect us to put council tax up to fill the gaps their funding cuts create.

“The Prime Minister and Chancellor must stop the squeeze on families in Telford and Wrekin by funding local services properly and ruling out further unfair council tax rises in this year’s budget.’

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.