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The council tax bombshell
Well, it’s official, the latest council tax data for English councils ([link removed]) is in and it’s grim reading for taxpayers (we’ll bring you the findings from Scotland and Wales just as soon as the data comes out). As expected, almost every local authority has hiked rates by the maximum 4.99 per cent, adding an average of £109 to Band D property bills. Just under half of all bills have now smashed through the £2,000 mark!
Residents in a typical household can expect to shell out an eye-watering £2,280 in 2025-26. ([link removed]) Elliot Keck, our head of campaigns, was scathing when the news broke ([link removed]) and took no prisoners when he called out the failings in local government: “local authorities across the country have failed in the desperate need to drive up standards. The fact that so few have not used the maximum increase available demonstrates that the stagnant productivity that is driving up costs is endemic in local government, forcing councils to reach deeper into the pockets of local taxpayers just to stand still.”

It doesn’t have to be this way. Councils like Harlow, Ashfield, and Fenland were among the very few who managed to freeze their rates. Broadland even found a way to cut theirs.

For the majority though, this last year has been a wasted opportunity to drive up standards and performance leaving local residents to pick up the tab. We need to see councils impose rigorous performance targets and regular reviews to ensure taxpayers aren’t paying for dead weight. We can’t afford for them not to.
One last push
Speaking of dead weight, the four-day week trial in South Cambridgeshire rumbles on leaving local taxpayers paying 100 per cent salaries for staff working 80 per cent of the hours ([link removed]) .

With the full council still not having been given a say two years after the trial started, local bosses finally launched a public consultation earlier this year.
The TPA team have been pounding the pavements across South Cambridgeshire, supporting residents who don’t approve of being used as guinea pigs. With the consultation set to close today at 11:59pm ([link removed]) , we hit the streets in one last push to put a stop to this reckless experiment. Hundreds of angry local taxpayers have already used our tool to submit to the consultation. If you’re local to Cambridge or South Cambridgeshire, click here to make sure your voice is heard. ([link removed]) The clock is ticking.
Andrew RT Davies: Welsh politics & the rise of Reform UK
Podcast host Duncan Barkes and the TPA's Elliot Keck are joined by Andrew RT Davies, the former leader of the Welsh Conservatives.
Andrew explains why he resigned last year and outlines the current state of the political scene in Wales. He also gives his view on the threat of Reform UK in next year's Senedd election and whether or not he might join them. Give the latest episode of A Nation of Taxpayers a listen on Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , Spotify ([link removed]) , and YouTube ([link removed]) .
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A missed opportunity
Welfare payments were in the spotlight this week as work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, desperately scrambled to make savings to help offset the damage from the October budget and the UK’s growing benefits bill which is now expected to hit an extraordinary £70 billion!

While the pre-statement briefings promised much, what was finally presented in the commons was a bit of a damp squib.
Far from getting to the root of the problem, Kendall largely ignored the incentives driving claimants away from work and towards things like Personal Independence Payments and the much maligned Motability scheme.

Analysis from the TPA egg heads showed that the numbers of those qualifying for a new BMW or Mercedes citing ADHD has rocketed by 1,600 per cent since 2016 ([link removed]) from 2,348 people to 35,115. Those claiming for autism went up by 703 per cent, from 3,509 to 28,225.

But as John O’Connell, our chief executive, pointed out ([link removed]) , surely the biggest problem with getting people back to work is that this is one of the most anti-employment governments ever ([link removed]) : “Liz Kendall talks about giving benefits claimants the right to try work, yet her colleagues are effectively banning companies from the right to try new employees through the employment rights bill… her cabinet colleagues to cease their attacks on the private sector, otherwise her ambition to increase employment and cut the benefits bill will be dead on arrival.”
Sense at last
The leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, shook things up this week with a moment of honesty about the soaring costs of net zero ([link removed]) . In a major speech, she defended energy security and called out the massive price tag being dumped on working families.
Perfectly timed research from the TPA ([link removed]) showed that green taxes hit hard-working Brits to the tune of £17.8 billion in 2023-24 and are set to rise by another £1.6 billion by 2026-27.

While it’s good to finally be hearing some common sense from the Conservatives, ultimately, if they ever do make it back to government, it’s their actions that will speak far louder than their words. Time will tell.
Khan taken to task
There were some heated exchanges in the London Assembly when Sadiq Khan was taken to task ([link removed]) over Transport for London’s (TfL) £7.9 million facility time bill ([link removed].) by Susan Hall AM.
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Rather than accept the time and cost of TfL workers moonlighting as union officials ([link removed].) (taking paid time from their actual jobs to cause trouble for commuters) wasn’t in the best interest of the public, the mayor of London sought to take a pop at the TPA and the people who make our work possible, people like you. Have a watch of the exchange here. ([link removed])

And if you want to help stick it to Sadiq ([link removed]) , why not become one of our “shadowy” funders by clicking here to donate? ([link removed])
Spring Statement or Emergency Budget?
With the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, due to pop up at the despatch box on Wednesday to deliver her Spring Statement, Callum McGoldrick asks whether this will really just be a the usual tinkering we see at these statements or, whether Reeves’ will be forced into a series of humiliating (but necessary) u-turns ([link removed]) to tackle the damage of her October budget?
With her fiscal headroom all but eliminated according to reports and businesses still reeling from her assault in the Autumn, there’s really no time like the present to start undoing those growth-killing measures. As Callum notes: “Labour's economic credibility hinges on its ability to navigate these turbulent waters. Taxpayers will be keenly watching for signs of a coherent strategy, not just short-term fixes.”

Click to read more ([link removed])
The Liberal Digest
A new Substack launched earlier this week ([link removed]) from friends of the TPA, Eamonn Ives (research director at the Entrepreneurs Network) and Callum Price (director of communications at the Institute of Economic Affairs): The Liberal Digest.

Bringing together the best of liberal thought in the UK every week, the new substack provides all the highlights from free market ‘wonk world’ and a few other bits you might have missed. With the TPA featuring no less than three times in the first edition ([link removed]) (which was jolly nice of the authors) you might want to consider subscribing here ([link removed]) .
Some winter sun
Last week saw the return of MIPIM, the annual conference / booze-fueled jolly for council and central government workers to supposedly go and woo developers in the sun at Cannes.

If you’re not familiar with MIPIM, Joanna Marchong gives us the lowdown ([link removed]) in the video below.
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And you can be in no doubt we’ll be finding out just how much has been wasted this year. Watch this space.
What do you think?
Firstly, well done on making it this far. I appreciate it was a little bit of a longer read this week. But you may have noticed some changes to the format and I’d love to know what you think. Drop me an email here to let me know the good and the bad. (mailto:[email protected]?subject=New%20format)

Thanks for reading.

Benjamin Elks
Grassroots Development Manager

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