At yesterday’s Full Council meeting, Derbyshire Conservatives put forward a fully costed and balanced amendment to reduce the Council Tax increase and protect valued local services.
Reform voted it down.
We proposed a 3.9% increase, a full 1% lower than Reform’s planned 4.9% rise.
Instead, Reform pushed ahead with a 4.9% increase, right on the brink of the maximum allowed. Hiding behind a 0.09% technical difference doesn’t fool anyone. We all know this is effectively the maximum tax hike they could inflict on residents.
Residents were promised that Reform would “cut your taxes”. Instead, their first major budget increases Council Tax as high as they possibly can.
There was another choice.
We worked closely with finance officers and went through the budget line by line. Our proposal was balanced, responsible and lawful, and it would have given residents a break at a time when families are already facing rising household bills, with an increase that much more closely resembled the rate of inflation.
When we ran Derbyshire County Council, we made a different choice. In 5 of the 8 years we were in administration, we rejected the easy option of increasing Council Tax by the maximum 5%, choosing more modest rises of 2% or 3% instead.
As a result of those decisions, the average Band D household in Derbyshire is around £500 better off than if we had simply maxed out Council Tax every year.
That proves one thing clearly: Council Tax levels are always a political choice.
Instead of standing on the side of hardworking Derbyshire residents, Reform have chosen maximum tax rises and service reductions.
Derbyshire Conservatives believe:
You exhaust efficiencies before raising taxes. You protect valued frontline services wherever possible. You keep as much money as possible in residents’ pockets.
We will continue to fight for responsible finances, lower taxes where possible, and the protection of the services and facilities our communities rely on.
Because Derbyshire residents deserve better than broken promises.
