Cheshire East Council's plan to increase council tax by nearly 10% has been rejected by the government. While six other councils received permission for smaller increases, the government emphasized that these were limited to areas with low council tax levels and that residents would still pay less than the average compared to similar councils.
Plans to raise council tax by nearly 10% in parts of Cheshire have been rejected by the government. Authorities can only increase council tax by a maximum of 4.99% without holding a local referendum. Cheshire East Council said its request had been 'declined' and it would 'update financial plans as necessary'. The authority emphasized that it was crucial to 'explore every option to improve financial stability ' and that its request did 'not commit the council to raising council tax '.
\Elsewhere, a total of six areas have been given permission for what Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner described as 'small' increases. They are Birmingham City Council, Bradford Council, Newham Council, Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council, Somerset Council, and Trafford Council. Ms. Rayner stated that there had been a record number of councils applying for additional council tax increases. 'We have agreed to a limited number of requests and in all cases have not agreed to the full amount requested,' she said. 'Where we have agreed, it is only for councils with amongst the lowest levels of council tax, and where we expect, even after these increases, residents will still be paying less than the average compared with similar councils.'\ Cheshire East Council said the potential increase was 'one of a range of possible measures that could be taken' to allow it to set a balanced budget. 'We are reviewing the latest information from government and will update financial plans as necessary,' a spokesperson said. The council is expected to approve its budget on February 26th
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