Labour offers 'raw deal' on council tax

3.40.58pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 15th Feb 2006

Council tax will rocket again under Labour

Sheffield's Labour Council are set to recommend a council tax increase of 4.6% for the 2006/07 budget before precepts. The report is due to be considered by the Labour Cabinet next week after which it will go in front of a special budget meeting of council on the 3rd of March.

An increase of 4.6% would see Sheffield's band D council taxpayers face an extra £52 on their annual bill before precepts. The Lib Dems have criticised the inflation busting council tax hike and called on Labour to cut down on the waste and red tape within the Town Hall.

Cllr Andrew Sangar, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet member for Finance, said: -

"The proposed increase of council tax is way above the level of inflation and reflects a raw deal for taxpayers in Sheffield. For the vast majority of people, who are not in Labour's favoured areas, the increase only signifies yet more neglect by the controlling Labour party"

"Everyone who pays council tax is entitled to a decent level of basic services such as street cleaning and road repairs. Yet under this Labour Council's favoured areas policy, which is strongly supported by the Tories, vast areas of Sheffield are neglected as mainstream investment is diverted into Labour's traditional favoured few neighbourhoods"

"We also need to clamp down on the amount of waste and red tape in the council and its partners. Over recent years we have seen more waste in managers and backroom staff, Lib Dems will attack this waste in order to keep this unfair tax as low as possible"

"It's time Labour delivered value for money for everyone in Sheffield, and it's time the Tories stop acting as Labour's principle cheerleaders on the Council. Lib Dems will strive to offer fairness for all, not favoritism for the few as is the case under Labour"