Lewes MP welcomes proposed council tax freeze

At a meeting of the district council’s Policy and Performance Advisory Committee on January 25, a 2.39 per cent increase in council tax proposed by the Lib Dem led coalition was replaced with a recommendation for a freeze in council tax, said the Lewes MP.

The Conservative proposed freeze will now be looked at by the cabinet made up of Lib Dems, Green, Labour and Independent councillors, she added.

“I welcome the Conservative group’s proposal of a freeze in council tax in Lewes District to match the proposed freeze in Wealden District,” said Mrs Caulfield.

“Across the Lewes constituency over 11,000 people have been on furlough and many have lost their jobs because of this pandemic.

“Now is not the right time for Lewes District Council to ask these same people to pay more in council tax.

“The government has provided billions in funding and support for councils across the country including in Lewes District.

“I hope that the Lib Dem run coalition on Lewes District Council will agree with the Conservatives and freeze council tax.”

In response, Zoe Nicholson, deputy leader of the district council and leader of the Green Party, said: “It’s astonishing that Maria should be taking this view given that her own chancellor in his spending review speech makes it clear that councils like ours and Conservative-run East Sussex County Council have to put up council tax to balance the books.

“The chancellor made it clear he was not able to deliver on his promises to cover all our emergency covid costs.

“The MP wants a freeze on the council tax, and at the same time her Conservative colleagues on East Sussex County Council are introducing an eye watering increase of 3.49 per cent, that’s a massive £52 a year on Band D bill.

“Does Maria Caulfield support East Sussex County Council’s huge hike in the council tax or does she want them to freeze it too?

“Or would she prefer the county council to limit the increase to less than 10p a week, £5 a year, as we are proposing to do at the district council.

“We are doing this despite the government stopping all our grant funding and failing to meet all our emergency Covid costs as they promised.

“The funding they have provided has fallen short of us being able to balance the books.”