London boroughs challenge PM on council tax hikes
Conservative council leaders in London are protesting government funding reforms that they claim force them to raise council taxes or cut services. The government maintains the new formula is a fairer system that prioritizes deprived areas over wealthy ones.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing tension between local government autonomy and central government fiscal policy in the UK.
Image source, PA Image caption, A street cleaner for Westminster Council seen working outside 10 Downing Street
Three Conservative council leaders in London have written to Andy Burnham, accusing the government of "devolving blame" for council tax hikes.
The leaders of Westminster, Wandsworth and Kensington and Chelsea councils said they were being forced to significantly raise council tax or cut services to plug a hole left by cuts to central government funding.
It follows a reform of council funding, which means more cash is directed to deprived areas.
The Tories want the change reviewed, claiming it will "worsen the lives of local residents across London and the South East". But the government said it was "fixing an outdated system" that benefited wealthy areas while poorer communities lost out.
The reforms made the system "fairer for taxpayers across the country", ministers added.
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