Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson is proposing a referendum on a possible 10% Council Tax rise. Pics © Liverpool Express
A possible 10% rise in Council Tax charges may be put to the public in a referendum, following shock proposals revealed by Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson.
With budget cuts affecting all areas of council expenditure for the past five years, Mayor Anderson says the point has now come where his administration can no longer cope with the financial restraints being enforced by central government.
By law, the maximum rise in Council Tax for each local authority is 3.9% per year – a figure the mayor says is already unavoidable in 2017/18. However, Liverpool City Council claims that a 10% hike is the only way to keep up provision for essential social services… and it says the time has now come for Liverpudlians to have their say.
Speaking at a council meeting last week, Mayor Anderson said: “The fact of the matter is that if we took a 10% cut to adult social care and a 10% cut to children’s care, then we would still have cut all the other services by 50%. That shows the scale of the problem we face.
“If we closed all our libraries, scrapped our sport centres, cut all spend on culture and halted all highway repairs, switched off 50,000 lights, that would then save us £68 million and somehow we need to find [the savings target of] £90 million.
“Consequences of cuts will be very serious indeed for the people that need these services. What if we put a poll up to see who would support this to protect the vulnerable people of the city? We need to campaign to get government to give us some of that money back.”
JMU Journalism went out onto the streets of Liverpool to see if there is any support for his referendum proposals, and the reaction was mixed.
YouTube: JMU Journalism
Scroll through the edited comments below for more responses from the public to the council’s referendum suggestion.
Reporting by: Emma White; James Harrison; Rhys Edmondson; Molly Copoc; Sachi Kondo; Cheyenne Hansen; Hamish Ellwood; Lauren Reece & Andrew Nuttall.
David Thornby, 59, Allerton
“Are they going to do it? Ten percent is a lot. I pay full Council Tax myself and it’s £84 a month now so if they put it up by 10%, you’re talking about [nearly] £100 a month. It’s ridiculous. It’s alright for people who get Council Tax benefit… they won’t mind, will they? They’ll vote yes for an increase but what about people who pay full Council Tax?”
Linda Latimer, 63, Toxteth
“I pay enough as it is. I pay Council Tax and I’m a pensioner and I have worked all my life. It seems unfair. You are penalised for working.”
Susan Norby, 51, Liverpool
“There’s a need, isn’t there?, I understand that, but the government should be funding those services. We might go into debt but that’s OK.”
Tommy McDonald, 52, Old Swan
“I’d go for it, yes. I would like to think everyone would do that as this is a charitable city and most people don’t mind giving a bit. I think people would look at it and think, ‘OK, fair enough’, but they would need to prove that they are not using it for other things. I just don’t trust politicians, end of.”
Florence Moore, 75, Liverpool
“Well I’m never going to be happy about an increase in Council Tax but it is a hard one because the money has to come from somewhere. As a pensioner, I do get a little help anyway, so it’s not as much of worry for me as it is for other families in the city.”
Anthony Ready, 44, Wavertree
“Will they chase up those who don’t pay their Council Tax to get this money? Also, we are paying on other things all around the city. I appreciate it brings people to the city – we have fireworks, giants and all sorts. But that’s money and in my view that could help to save my council tax going up. How can you justify the cost of a referendum? I agree it’s got to come from somewhere. As a homeowner myself, it totally depends on how it’s going to go. Obviously with 10%, there are different housing bands throughout the city. It’s all well me saying I’ll pay my extra £45, however I might live in a low band area. How many people are going to participate with this? Although, I don’t see any other way that it could be raised.”
Emily Hilton, 69, Everton
“I don’t know if I can afford it and I think we have had enough of referendums with Brexit. The referendum is going to cost money in itself from the council. I think the government should be the ones doing more to help.”
David Barlow, 63, Everton
“A council tax rise of 10% is a lot of money. Inflation’s only running at 2% so how can they justify 10%?”
Stuart Fallon, 37, Knowsley – works for Liverpool City Council
“Our wages aren’t going up by 10% so why should people’s taxes? Everyone who turns out to this referendum will clearly vote against the matter.”
Mary McQueen, 42, Bootle
“The government has no other option but to raise the Council Tax, but surely the cost of a referendum is pointless?”
Tom Nightingale, 28, Huyton
“People of our generation can’t really afford to be paying more Council Tax. I’m trying to save up for a house deposit and that won’t be made any easier if this decision is passed.”
Amanda Cunningham, 35, Gateacre
“As long as it was going to the right place, I wouldn’t mind paying a little bit more, like investing in services to help people with disabilities or mental health. I’m sure they’ve looked at every option possible before this.”
Frank Burkert, 58, Huyton
“It shouldn’t be right. Any increases would be hard on people locally, especially working people like myself. I know money’s got to come from somewhere, but I’m sure there are other ways to get it.”
Theresa Bennett, 56, Everton Valley
“I don’t think there should be an increase because it’s already expensive enough. They should have enough money to do what they need to do – to split it around everywhere and sort everybody out.”
Rita Mills, 64, Wirral
“For me personally, I wouldn’t have a problem with paying an extra pound a month or something, but there is a lot of unemployment and loads of people who aren’t paying Council Tax because they have low incomes. I think the most vulnerable people have been deprived of services and they’re the people we should be looking after. The streets are filthy, the lights are being switched off on the Wirral – I don’t know in Liverpool – but how far can you go? People need to be writing to the government to complain. I think that’s what’s stirred the north and south divide, and wonder whether the people in south of England are suffering severe cutbacks that we are. We need to be asking how far can we go with the cuts.”
Ruth Phillips, 88, Childwall
“I think it’s terrible, I really do. I’m 88 and I have never asked, apart from my government pension and the bus pass, for one penny. I don’t have a big pension from my husband but I have managed. I get 25% off [Council Tax bills] but if a 10% increase happened I would have to leave my house and I have been there for 43 years. That would be a very sad thing for me. When I heard of it the other night I thought well this is the end for me in a house that I love. Some would say because it’s semi-detached it’s too big for me, but why should I move now at my age? I live on my own, my son lives up in North Yorkshire. I don’t really want to leave Liverpool. I love Liverpool.”