Cheshire East Council has applied to the government for permission to increase council tax by up to 9.99% – without holding a referendum, writes Belinda Ryan.
Local authorities in receipt of exceptional financial support are able to make a formal request to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to increase their council tax above the usual referendum limits.
On Friday, the council made a formal request to MHCLG to permit the council tax referendum limit to be raised by a further 5% – above the current maximum of 4.99% for the year 2025-2026.
At this stage there is no guarantee the government will give the go-ahead.
And if it does, any rise would still have to be agreed at next month’s meeting of the full council when the budget is set.
Several Conservatives have already indicated they would be strongly opposed to a massive rise.
The plan was revealed at a meeting of the children and families committee yesterday (Monday) by Conservative councillor Chris O’Leary (Sutton).
Cllr O’Leary said to committee chair Carol Bulman: “On Friday, this council submitted a request to the government to be allowed to have an excessive increase in council tax of 9.99% for next year.
“Council tax is a regressive tax, and I wonder, therefore, if you could confirm that the Labour and Independent administration will be undertaking an equalities impact assessment on that increase on council tax and the impact it will have on children in low income households.”
Cllr Bulman (Middlewich, Lab) said: “It isn’t a done deal yet, of course, it’s a request.
“I would say that those in Band D properties who can afford to pay extra, should at this moment in time.
“People in lower bands… it will be two or three pounds a week.
“Yes, that’s a child’s school dinner money, it’s all relevant, it’s all significant in these hard times.”
But she said Cheshire East did offer a very generous means-tested council tax relief scheme for those who were struggling.
Macclesfield councillor Sarah-Bennett-Wake (Lab) said: “We’re here to look after children, and that’s our statutory duty. For me, it’s a moral duty as well.”
She said costs were rising and children’s care had to be funded.
Cllr Bennett-Wake referred to a report from the council’s interim executive director of resources which indicated that if Cheshire East had not frozen council tax under the Conservative administration between 2011/12 and 2015 it would have raised an extra £120m.
She added: “But the issue here is there’s people who can pay won’t pay and there’s people who can’t pay will get assistance for that…
“But up to Band D it’s less than the price of a cup of coffee.”
Cllr O’Leary replied: “I’m not going to apologise for keeping the council tax low.
“I think it’s worth bearing in mind that the reason the Conservative government from 2010 to 2015 funded councils to freeze their council tax was because Labour between 1997 and 2010 increased the council tax by so much.”
He added: “The message we’re getting today that if you live in a band D property, you should be able to afford an extra £15 a month, and you shouldn’t worry about that. You should just cough it up and pay for it.”
Why should anyone pay differently if they are receiving the same (or lack of) services? Regardless of what you earn or where you live, you pay for the same services.
Those on benefits have that paid by benefits, everyone else should pay the same regardless. It’s bad enough that you pay more for a different council tax band yet its the same size bin, same roads, same street lights, etc.
It is evident that there are significant concerns regarding competence at CE. What is particularly troubling is the lack of value for money being delivered. The approach appears to be one of unchecked spending, and when financial imbalances arise, the solution seems to be increasing rates to cover the shortfall.
For example, over the past 18 months, a sinkhole in our area has been repeatedly filled in by different groundwork companies. Instead of addressing the issue properly from the start by holding the original contractor accountable, new companies have been brought in each time. Why not insist that the original company, which was paid to resolve the issue, return to complete the work to the required standard?
Additionally, there are concerns regarding the management of council-owned properties nearby. Residents in these homes benefit from regular garden maintenance, plumbing repairs, and roof repairs, yet one occupant is seen engaging in unregulated “cash-in-hand” work (one-man-band removal co). In the evenings, Deliveroo mopeds frequently arrive with takeaways such as kebabs and KFC. This highlights potential misuse of taxpayer funds, all within just one street.
This situation raises serious questions about accountability, efficiency, and the proper allocation of public resources.
Cannot reiterate this further, the incompetent CEC councillors are pillaging rate payers and treating us as imbeciles. Seen a further report today in that CEC are now saying they aren’t indicating they will put rates up by 4.99% and extra 5%, merely asking Government to sanction the principle of that and BY GOLLY THEY WILL PROBABLY INCREASE RATES BY 9.00% OR SLIGHTLY LESS, therefore stating we kept rate increase to a minimum and not to the full extent we wanted to.
WHAT REALLY IRKS IS THAT THESE INCOMPETENT COUNCILLORS, WILL TAKE EXTORTIONATE AMOUNTS OF MONEY IN EXPENSES ON TOP OF THEIR SALARIES.
LABOUR SHOULD BE OUSTED.
Perhaps Cllr Bulman and others will give up their members allowance of some £14,500 per annum.
On the 3rd January 2025 Nantwich News published the words of Cllr Nick Mannion intimating that the Council were working towards an annual increase in council tax of 4.99%. You naturally assume this was based on evidence provided by members of the Financial Team based on projections from highly qualified officers who are accountants by qualification.
This week the announcement is the Council have applied to Central Government to raise the charge by 9.99% from April 1st 2025.
It is unbelievable to think the citizens can be deceived by the level of incompetence and lack of integrity.
Financial reports are issued weekly even daily in major organisation. They are monitored, controlled, supervised. Projections are made based on evidence.
This announcement just supports by thoughts that some of the Directors, Councillors and Senior Officers are not fit and proper people.
They should be dismissed, councillors barred from being suitable for elected office.
It is just not acceptable to voting public.
There is a distinct lack of transparency and candour from officers and councillors a like.
Enough is enough!!
How can the picture change so rapidly in less than one month.
You can not tell me they were not aware of this information was announced on the 3rd January.
This requires further investigation by independent auditors and investigators . Any miss management should result in capability proceedings and dismissal. Those found culpable should be barred from office.
I am told 25% of all council tax raised goes to pay pensions for retired officers. I am not sure if that is true, perhaps some one has the answer out there.
We are all moaning about it. We need to show the council just how fed up we all are. Nothing unlawful of course.
CEC Highways are completely incompetent and run by a bunch of clowns as is the rest of CEC! Let’s just see how many roads they can close at one time or traffic lights they can approve! Is there no coordination? I think that they try their absolute hardest to cock up Nantwich traffic!
Utterly evil decision. 10% increase when inflation is less than 3%.
Services are getting worse, fat cat salaries abound, pot holes galore, illegal residents living it up in country house hotels, no winter fuel payments, no waspi compensation, this is Labour, locally and nationally, really rubbing our noses in it.
Don’t forget to add on the extras. Police, Fire, Town Council, Parish etc.
Residents of CE and CW should be able to have a say on the merging of CE and CW. A coming together should drive out costs There just has to be duplication of work and inefficient working practices. Add to this reduction of councillors. A more effective council without the baggage , poor decision making and execution of actions ( mainly from CE ) can only benefit all residents. Lastly can CE evidence how the newly proposed car park will make money and over what time, or is a repeat of the utter mess made with new new car park built in Crewe
Many people knew that the Conservatives were incompetent, and that Labour would be really bad. I don’t think anyone imagined, though, just how incompetent and how bad. I’m sick to death of the daily doses of appalling decisions and contempt for voters, mixed with unbelievable incompetence, greed and sleaze. It’s a cliché, but the only people getting a good deal, without conditions, are those on the four times a day dinghy* service with free pick-ups.
I wish more people would protest. I don’t mean violence, riots or disorder, but at the moment, Parliament is getting away with murder. It won’t make any difference, but we should ensure Westminster knows exactly how badly they’ve failed us.
(*. Oh sorry, “small boats”. Dinghy, of course is offensive. Wouldn’t want to be labelled far-right).
The council’s need to abolish the single person discount to evenly spread the bill, far too many people claiming it who aren’t entitled. Plus anyone on benefits would get it paid by the council tax rebate so only the rich would pay a little extra
It is appalling as CEC saying Band D ratepayers will only pay £15.00 a month more, and they should be able to afford it there is a good system in place to help those who cant .iif go ahead given for 9.99% increase) Yet I am Band C, currently paying £192 per month x 10 months per year. Therefore, my Banding will go up £191.80 extra per year, to £2111.80 equating to £211.18 per 10 months. This means my rates go up by £19 per month. Typical math evidence of incompetent people running the council. AND I’m a pensioner who cannot claim anything (because I have miserly private pension) lost the Winter Fuel Allowance AND pays full for bloody everything. Therefore, Stammer’s math incompetence of saying Pensioners will be better off from April this year of just over £470.00, yet I am instantly losing £191.00 from that amount, on top of increases on Gas, Electric, Water, Household Insurance, Spectacles, Dental Care etc. I Lucky enough not to be on medication, so I don’t claim free prescriptions. TO CAP IT ALL OFF, COUNCILLORS WILL STILL CLAIM EXPENSES ON TOP OF THEIR FAT CAT SALARY.
Just absolutely sickening the unfit for office shameful clowns running the show have the license and impudence to further mug Joe Public to cover the cost of their catastrophic waste of ratepayers money blown away on nonsensical projects like Crewe’s £11M white elephant multi-storey carpark abomination!!!
Total incompetence throughout the whole of Cheshire East Council. It is beyond a disgrace. Directors, Senior Executives, Councillors should be barred from office.
At least Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask.
Stop wasting money on multi-storey car parks and market hall refurbishments that no one wants !!
If you can afford it is irrelevant, it’s what the council does with it that’s important, the fact is this council is totally inept with a proven track record of failure, so increasing tax to pay for this failure is unacceptable, people need to be held accountable for their poor performance and got rid off ,not with a large payout either.
DISGRACEFUL