By John Connell

Last updated at 17:23, Tuesday, 15 January 2013

A planned council tax hike has been defended by Copleand after a Government minister branded it “flagrant democracy-dodging”.

Elaine Woodburn

The council wants to increase council tax by the highest it can without needing a public referendum while cutting a host of services.

The authority is proposing a 1.9 per cent increase from April plus a one per cent pay rise every year until 2017 for its employees, in keeping with other local authorities.

Local Government minister Brandon Lewis,criticised the move in a statement issued to the News & Star.

Mr Lewis, the Conservative MP for Great Yarmouth, said: “Every local resident will be dismayed by this flagrant democracy-dodging.

“Copeland council is doing hard working families and pensioners a real disservice by raising their council tax to a hair’s breadth below the trigger level in order to avoid a public vote instead of taking up this Government’s offer to help fund a freeze for the third year in a row.

“Increasing council tax at this time is wrong. Councillors trying to undercut democracy in this way will find out what residents really think about their money being snatched money away on the doorstep or through a kick in the ballot box.”

But Councillor Elaine Woodburn, leader of Copeland council, said: “To say this is a bit rich is the understatement of the decade. I doubt if Mr Lewis even knows where Copeland is – he got our name wrong in his press release [the original press release referred to Cumbria council not Copeland council].

“It is his government that is seeking to screw money out of those who need it most by abolishing council tax benefit, taxing people on housing benefit if they happen to have a spare room, and cutting millions from local authorities trying hard to maintain services on diminishing budgets. And then they complain when we consider one of the only ways left open to us to fund services.

“Put simply, if Mr Lewis’ government had not cut our budget so hugely and so quickly, we would not have to consider raising council tax, albeit by only 5p per week.”

A spokesman for Mr Lewis added: has confirmed that similar “We have been very clear that they [councils] should be looking to make sensible cuts without that being to the detriment of frontline services.”

The Government has published a document called 50 ways to save: examples of sensible savings in local government.

Examples given to help councils cut costs include cancelling away days in “posh hotels and glitzy award ceremonies”; clawing back money from benefit cheats; and sharing services with other councils.

The spokesman added that the Government had set aside £450 million to help councils avoid passing costs on to the taxpayer.

But Ms Woodburn said that offer of funding a council tax freeze was a “red herring”.

She said: “For a start it is only for one per cent, and so would not plug the gap we need it to. And secondly it is only for a year – what happens after that? If we held a referendum to increase it, it would cost us £60,000 – how does Mr Lewis suggest we recoup that?

“It seems Mr Lewis and his colleagues will not rest until they have systematically destroyed the quality of life of residents, and removed any chance councils have of supporting people.”

First published at 16:46, Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk