Revolting: ratepayers are threatening to withhold council tax amid fury at public service disarray. (Image: Getty)
A growing grassroots rebellion threatens to throw the Labour Government into chaos.
Thousands of fed-up ratepayers are planning to withhold council tax payments over the parlous state of public services.
The revolt is similar to a movement that grew in response to the energy bill crisis in 2022, when household demands were forecast to top £4,000 a year.
Bill payers already irate with a failure to fix potholed roads, address mass library and leisure centre closures, the scaling back of bin collections, and the wholesale axing of a raft of other taxpayer-funded services, have been left angered by a decision to scrub local elections in May in Sussex, Essex, Thurrock, Hampshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, and the Isle of Wight at a time inflation-busting bills are pushed through.
The move to axe elections, sanctioned by Deputy Prime Minister amid a reorganisation of local government, has been described as an “affront to democracy”. Reform UK leader called it “dictatorial” and it has proved to be the tipping point for many.
From April, squeezed families face a fresh blow with council tax demands dropping through letterboxes on behalf of hard-up councils, which, in some cases, could see bills hiked by more than 10% at a time services are slashed to the bone.
Councils are typically only allowed to raise council tax by up to 5% without seeking voter approval. However, by issuing a Section 114 notice,, town halls can effectively declare bankruptcy to raise rates beyond the legal limit.
Local authorities are experiencing demand for services at a time when reserves are running dry, in part because of inflation and .
Furious taxpayers have vented their ire on social media, with one saying: “Why should I pay my council tax if my vote is taken away from me?”
Another added: “It’s going to be hilarious this year as councils start putting pressure on the Government for the thousands who are cancelling their council tax. A summer of non-compliance, not paying council tax, energy bills and TV licences and taxes by the self employed. [Prime Minister] Sir will be gone before the end of year.”
More than two million people will be hit by increases of between 5 and 10%.
The Lib Dem-run Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead asked the Government to increase rates by 24.99%, claiming that without permission, it would effectively go bust.
It is set to rise by 9% but even that has sparked widespread anger, with Independent councillor Helen Price fearing people will refuse to pay “on a point of principle”, adding: “For many residents when the council tax bill lands on their mat they will be shocked.”
Labour-run Bradford Council is set to raise taxes by 10%, while Birmingham, Somerset, and Trafford councils are all planning to raise rates by 7.5%.
The latest figures show that some 1.3 million households are in council tax arrears.
At the height of the energy bills crisis, one in three people signed up for the Don’t Pay campaign.
The average Band D council tax in England is currently £2,171, an increase of 5.1% on 2023-24.
One fed-up taxpayer said: “The mass stopping of council tax payment would be a strong message to send to Labour until they listen.”
Property expert Paul Gibbens said: “While increased taxes are intended to alleviate pressure from the councils, this will ultimately place UK residents under further financial pressure.
“Increasing council taxes beyond the legal limit will have a staggering knock-on effect for the property market across the UK, as living in the impacted areas during a cost-of-living crisis will now be unfeasible for many families.”