The Government has announced that Councils will be permitted to raise Council Tax by up to 3% per year over the next two years to fund adult social care. This will be on top of the discretionary general increase of up to 2%, meaning Council Tax bills could potentially go up by 10% in total over the next two years.

Lib-Dem Councillor, Tim Ball, (Twerton), spokesperson for Health and Well-being, added: “We have been hearing for years about the national crisis in social care funding, yet the Government is refusing to seriously address the issue. This is a short-term answer to a long-term problem. What is needed is a complete overhaul of funding for the NHS and care system.”

Councillor Andrew Furse (Kingsmead), who is the B&NES Lib-Dem shadow on Finance and Efficiency, said: “The Government is passing these costs on to local Council tax payers. This hike will put the heaviest burden on the least well-off in B&NES – those who pay the biggest proportion of their earnings in Council tax – and will make it harder for them to manage financially. It is an unfair way to raise the extra money that is needed to cover the growing care bill.”