23 hours Ago
The rules around council tax are set by the UK government – and they are still using property valuations from 1991 to decide how much council tax each household pays. Think about that. Homes that have tripled or quadrupled in value over the last 30 years are stuck in outdated bands, while neighbours in similar houses can face wildly different bills just because of what their property was worth decades ago.
It’s unfair, it’s outdated, and it is long past time for reform. Successive governments have dodged this issue. There’s been no serious attempt to revalue properties or make the system fairer.
Meanwhile, families, pensioners, and those on lower incomes in North Somerset are being squeezed by a tax that takes no account of their ability to pay. Every year, councils like ours face difficult choices — raising council tax just to keep vital services going. This year, North Somerset Council agreed a 4.
99 per cent rise. For a Band D home, that’s an extra £1.64 a week.
Our council tax here – despite what many think – is one of the lowest in the country. But I know that for many households, even small increases hurt when wages and pensions don’t keep pace with rising costs. The real scandal is that council tax hits those with the least the hardest.
The poorest households pay a bigger share of their income in council tax than the wealthiest. That can’t be right. I’ve been clear: we need a fairer system.
The Liberal Democrats have long called for reform — including replacing council tax with a local income tax based on what people can actually afford. At the very least, we need proper revaluation and more tax bands so that people aren’t penalised just because their home’s value has risen on paper. North Somerset shouldn’t have to rely on an outdated tax system to fund essential services like social care or road maintenance.
These are universal services throughout the country, with standards set by national government. Funding for them shouldn’t depend on a system for generating local revenue that is stuck in the past. It’s time for the government to stop burying its head in the sand.
We need a council tax system that reflects today’s world — one that is fair, transparent, and linked to people’s ability to pay. The government says it wants to reform local government finance. But that should not just be restricted to how central grants are divided up, it needs to sort the failing council tax system too.
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