Mieka Smiles

Local Matters

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T’S that time of year again. The weird kind of reverse Christmas for UK residents, when your council tax rockets but you see absolutely zero bang for your buck.

And as a local councillor and former deputy mayor - I’ve sat in enough budget meetings to know this much: setting council tax is not for the faint of heart.

Every line feels like you're teetering between going bust or scrapping another bin collection. Which is why I nearly choked on my cornflakes when Nigel Farage’s lot swept to power in councils across the country last May, and vowed to tackle waste to bring down council tax. This will be interesting, I thought. And even though everyone hates a know-it-all, I knew exactly how it would end.

Because while councils are far from paragons of efficiency, sadly, there aren’t secret piles of cash lying about in the town hall loft. Council budgets are dominated by things that even the most hopeful new council member can’t just wish away. Children’s services, adult social care and transport provision for special educational needs are the unholy trinity of council tax drain.