Council tax bombshell hidden in budget will see households paying hundreds more

NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Jeremy Hunt has hidden a council tax bombshell in his austerity budget worth hundreds of pounds to average households.

The chancellor glossed over the measure in his Commons statement, saying only that local authorities would have more ‘flexibility’ on setting rates.

But documents published by the Treasury have confirmed a rule change will allow councils to push up rates by 5% without asking voters for permission.

The budget tears up guidelines which means councils must hold a local referendum if they want to put tax up by more than 3%.