The Conservative opposition group on Somerset Council are writing to the Leader of the Council calling for residents to be given a say before any decision is taken to raise council tax above the 4.99% referendum limit for a second year running.
Last year Somerset residents were told that a 7.5% increase was exceptional. This year, households are being warned that council tax could rise by more than £200, an increase of around 11%. Two consecutive years above the referendum limit is no longer exceptional, it represents a pattern of reliance on higher taxes to cover ongoing failures.
Financial Mismanagement
Since 2022, families in towns such as Taunton and Bridgwater have seen their average band D bills rise by more than £660, with increases of over £540 in Yeovil. These rises have been compounded by City, Town and Parish councils being forced to take on services previously delivered by Somerset Council, passing further costs on to residents.
The Conservative opposition says these pressures are the result of poor financial management by the Liberal Democrat administration. While services have been reduced, assets sold and staff made redundant, tens of millions of pounds have been spent on agency staff and consultants. Independent auditors have repeatedly raised concerns about the council’s finances and management, yet local taxpayers continue to pick up the bill, including thousands of disabled households who have lost around £400 a year in council tax support.
Supporting Somerset Residents
The Conservative opposition says it recognises the real financial pressures facing Somerset residents, whether working families or pensioners on fixed incomes. Councils do have choices. Under the previous Conservative-led county council, budgets were balanced and council tax rose more slowly over a longer period, including a council tax freeze in 2015/16 that helped households manage the cost of living.
That council tax freeze was part of a national policy introduced by the Conservative Liberal Democrat Coalition Government and supported by councils across Somerset. Importantly, Liberal Democrat-run South Somerset District Council also froze council tax for five consecutive years during the same period, showing that keeping council tax down was a shared and deliberate approach, not a partisan one.
Give the public a say
With the Liberal Democrats now signalling that households could be paying close to £900 more a year in council tax overall since 2022, the Conservative opposition believes residents should be asked a simple question before any further increase is imposed, do you want this and can you afford it?
The Conservative opposition are urging Somerset Council to commit publicly to consulting residents before any proposal to raise council tax above the referendum limit for a second year in a row is brought forward, and is inviting Somerset residents to add their name in support of that call.
The letter will be presented at the Somerset Council Executive on Wednesday 11th February.
