Green councillors have responded to news that Labour-run Bradford Council has been granted permission to increase council tax by 9.99% – the biggest increase of any council in the country.
Councillor Neil Whitaker (Craven) the finance lead for the Green Party on Bradford Council has said,
“It is shameful that the new Labour government has given the green light for this 10% hike in Council Tax. Effectively they want hard working people across our district to pay the price for clearing up the financial mess that Bradford Council has been left in. This is fundamentally wrong
“Senior Labour councillors missed opportunity after opportunity to prevent the financial situation becoming so bad, but they had their heads in the sand. It wasn’t until we were on the edge of the cliff that things have started to change.
“Labour – both the new national government and here in Bradford – want all of us to pay more for even less services. Thousands of households across Bradford District are struggling and will have to pay the price of the catastrophic mismanagement of our Council’s finances by the current administration.”
Councillor Matt Edwards (Tong), Leader of the Green Party on Bradford Council:
“Bradford residents are now facing the biggest council tax rise in the country – 9.99%. No other Council has been allowed to increase their Council Tax as much and I think that underlines how bad the financial situation actually is here.”
“The new Labour government promised they were going to fix the chaos council like Bradford are in but just like the Conservatives they are ignoring the issue. Simply asking us to pay more council tax won’t fix the problem. Local government needs to be funded properly if we are to get the services, we all deserve.
“Our tax system in the UK places a disproportionately heavy burden on those on the lowest incomes and lets the super wealthy and big businesses get away with not paying their fair share. Not only are Bradford taxpayers footing the bill for the financial incompetence of our Labour-run council, but we will also be paying higher water bills to help clear up the mess big businesses have left the water companies in.”