STARMER'S 5% COUNCIL TAX RISE SHAME

LABOUR has been accused of hammering households in a "day of shame" as council tax soars by 5%.

- By David Williamson

The PM had said that he would have frozen bills if he had been in power in 2023, but now average Band D council tax for a home in England is set to jump by £109 a year from £2,171 to £2,280 a fifth higher than in 2021-22 when the typical bill was £1,898.

A Tory spokesman declared as the bill levels were confirmed across the country yesterday: "This is Starmer's day of shame. It is clear that taxes are only going one way on his watch because of decisions he's made."

Bills for a Band D property range from £998 in Wandsworth, South London to £2,671 in Rutland in the East Midlands. An analysis also found average tax in Greater London is 18% lower than in the North East.

Caroline Abrahams, of the Age UK charity, warned that the "cost of living crisis is far from over".

She added: "The expected rise in council tax from April will no doubt add to the financial woes many older people continue to face. We're still hearing from thousands of older people struggling to afford the basics as everything keeps going up."

Kevin Hollinrake, the Shadow Local Government Secretary, said that Chancellor Rachel Reeves's decision to raise employers' National Insurance contributions had forced up costs for councils, despite funding to offset the extra expense.

He said: "This Labour Government is driving up costs for councils across the country with their jobs tax...We are the only ones standing up to a dreadful Labour Government determined to crush businesses, raise your taxes and trash the economy. This has been engineered by Labour, who have left town halls to foot the blame when record bills hit the doormat."