Stockport council’s ‘ambition’ to freeze council tax next year has been thrown into doubt following the autumn budget. Finance chief Coun Malcolm Allan told a full council meeting the government had signalled an expectation town halls would use increased 'flexibility' to hike bills to fund services - creating a 'challenging' and 'difficult' situation.
But he insisted the Lib Dem administration still wanted to 'save' residennts from the 'regressive' tax if at all possible. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced on Thursday that he is to allow local authorities to raise council tax by 5pc - including a 2pc adult social care precept - from April.
He also shelved proposals to cap social care fees on the grounds town halls had ‘very real concerns’ about their ability to deliver the policy. And there is an additional £1 billion to extend the Household Support Scheme for a further year, ‘helping local authorities to assist those who might otherwise fall through the cracks’.
