Council tax needs overdue overhaul

WHILE festive shoppers have been deciding what to buy in the last few weeks, under-pressure local politicians across Northern England are weighing up which public services they can still afford to run.

- ROB PARSONS

Town halls have been publishing early versions of their budgets and, across the vast majority, the same picture emerges of cuts, job losses and the hiking of fees and taxes for residents still feeling the pinch from the costof-living crisis.

In Newcastle, school meal fees and garden waste collection charges are set to rise after the council announced more than £21m of cuts. And in Hartlepool, parking offers, events such as the Christmas light switch-on and fireworks display and festive trees could all be scrapped.

With few other levers to pull and the soaring cost of social care for vulnerable adults and children leaving an ever-larger hole in their coffers, most will be forced to raise their share of council tax by the maximum level of 4.99% when budgets are set next year.