County council confirm five per cent tax hike branded ‘morally wrong’

Lincolnshire County Council has backed what is now a five per cent increase in its share of the council tax, something opposition councillors branded ‘morally wrong’.

As part of its budget, the authority initially announced a three per cent increase, the proceeds of which would go on adult care.

But after its calls for central government to reinstate a £12m cut in funding for highways failed, it proposed to increase the tax by two more per cent to cover the shortfall.

At last week’s full council meeting independent candidates that make up the opposition to the controlling Conservatives, tabled a motion that the tax should go up four per cent with the shortfall of £6.45m taken from the £60m reserves and paid back with the £7m underspend the budget predicts.

Coun Karen Lee called the rise “morally wrong” citing the fact the county council had conducted a public consultation on the three per cent council tax rise, but not on the extra two per cent.

Coun Ashley Baxter, who tabled the motion, said: “Judging from the responses to the consultation people think that a three per cent rise is enough, to fill the holes in the budget and the road despite the well publicised (Fairer Funding) campaign.”

But the amendment was voted down and the budget with a five per cent rise passed.

Leader Coun Martin Hill said: “We keep council tax as low as possible. We froze council tax for four years and that’s why we have one of the lowest in the country.

“We are using reserves and we probably need to find other reserves.”

In a statement after last week’s meeting he said the money generated from the extra council tax increase would rebuild 37 miles of road and fill 24,000 potholes.

The statement continued: “Although it’s incredibly disappointing that the Department for Transport and the Transport Secretary never responded to our plea to fill the £12m funding gap they left us with, I’m proud to say that our council has voted to continue to find a way to maintain the roads network that is so vital to the people and businesses of Lincolnshire.”