‘Completely unacceptable!’ Tory councillor tears into plans to hike tax bills by FIVE times the legal limit: ‘We won’t suck it up and suffer’

A Conservative councillor has hit out at the “completely unacceptable” plans by a local authority to hike residents’ tax bills by 25 per cent, stating that residents “can’t afford it”.

More than four million people are facing council tax rises after eight bankrupt town halls asked for permission to raise bills by a larger amount than is normally allowed by law.

In one district, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM), household bills will increase by 25 per cent – the largest increase in England for two decades. Another seven councils have proposed rises between 10 and 15 per cent from April.

Speaking to GB News, Conservative councillor Sally Coneron claimed the Liberal Democrats in charge of the council have “totally lost control of the finances” and are expecting residents to “foot the bill”.

“They’re expecting the residents to pick up the bill instead of tightening their belts and do all the promises that they had almost two years ago, and ever since then have just overspent, 16 million and counting,” she told GB News.

Detailing the financial impact on residents, Coneran claimed that the hike will mean an extra £450 will be added to average household bills in the area, affecting 154,000 residents.

“It’s five times more than what would usually be even allowed. We currently have an average about £1,800 for our council tax,” Coneron said.

“People don’t have this money just lying around certainly at the moment. It’s just not the sort of money that you find lying between your sofa cushions,” she added.

Coneron pointed to ongoing recruitment at the council as evidence of financial mismanagement, as well as “empty office spaces” not being used.

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“We’ve still got 22 job adverts going out, so they’re still employing more people consistently, which involves training, pensions for them as well,” she said.

Coneran added: “There’s empty office spaces – we haven’t seen any plans for those office spaces to be filled and for that money to come in, and there’s land holdings that we were planning on doing a lot with to bring in income, and that’s just been delayed and delayed and delayed.

“So very, very little has been done to stop this happening.”

The Tory councillor called for intervention, suggesting commissioners should take over the council’s management.

She concluded: “We don’t believe that the Liberal Democrat leadership is capable of bringing us out of this, and I think, to be honest, we are now hoping for an accelerated local government reform in Berkshire and to bring the commissioners in.”

She warned the tax increase would bring no improvements to services. “No one’s going to see any real benefit from this. All they’re going to see is approximately £450 more come out of their bank,” she said.

“The reality is people can’t afford it, so it’s almost a moot point.”

A Local Government Association spokesman said: “Many councils have faced the tough choice about whether to increase bills to bring in desperately-needed funding to provide services at a time when they are acutely aware of the significant burden that could place on some households.”