Hands up if you remember Starmer pledging NOT to increase Council Tax?

Keir Starmer and Labour have signed off on Council Tax increases of up to 10% this year, despite their election promise of a freeze:

Labour have approved Council Tax rises of up to 10% effective at the end of next month.

Listen to what they promised before they became the government. pic.twitter.com/NVJrre2SHR

— Tory Fibs (@ToryFibs) February 4, 2025

According to Sky News, local councils will hit over two million people with tax increases of between five and 10%. Windsor and Maidenhead Council even tried to increase theirs by 25%. Luckily this plan was blocked. However, it will still increase by 9%. Bradford council are also increasing their taxes by 10%.

Council tax increases: pants on fire?

This is all after Keir Starmer told the public before the election that:

Not a penny more on your council tax, not a penny more than the bill you paid last year

Either Keir Starmer is really shit at maths, or he’s a bare faced liar trying to take the British public for mugs:

I am actually pro tax in many ways. I believe as long as the rich pay their share I’ll happily pay mine. But this council tax rise is a lie of massive proportion and with huge consequences for many who voted Labour. Starmer should resign. Lying from politicians should be illegal! https://t.co/yiEpcoGq9F

— Niall W. Hoult (@nwh_1994) February 4, 2025

It’s barely worth commenting anymore on Starmer’s dishonesty. He’s one of the most routinely dishonest figures ever to (dis)grace the political arena. Trump may be more theatrical, but Starmer gives even him a run for his money on the lying-all-the-time-about-everything stakes. https://t.co/CkRMohqkR5

— simon maginn (@simonmaginn) February 4, 2025

Working-class people are already struggling due to the cost of living crisis. Increasing council tax is only going to make the problem worse for people already living on the breadline:

This is outrageous, they’re going to bleed us dry. https://t.co/BKz99wdS9U

— Lisa Mad as Hell Tucker-Clemens (@TuckerClemens) February 4, 2025

As if Keir Starmer’s Labour Party would ever put more money into ordinary people’s pockets:

Will the extra money in our pockets cover the increase in Council Tax and utility bills? I’m guessing it won’t. https://t.co/dLouDj8EWM

— Jonathan Pie (@JonathanPieNews) February 4, 2025

Keir Starmer and a broken system

The only pockets neoliberal Labour care about lining is the billionaire bosses in the City. If it’s a toss up between raising council tax and putting a wealth tax on the rich, it’s pretty obvious what the lying corporate muppets were going to choose:

Massive 10% tax increase from councils across the country.

Labour promised it wouldn’t happen.

For this Labour Party lying is second nature.

Labour would rather tax and lie to ordinary people than introduce a wealth tax.

Labour is finished.pic.twitter.com/ZIv7UiqUwz

— Howard Beckett (@BeckettUnite) February 4, 2025

In an interview with Sky News, Karin Smyth, health and social care minister defended the increases. She also claimed the councils making changes were “particularly desperate”. She also blamed the Conservatives for the dire state they left the country in:

Always said this feckwit is no better than a Tory. In fact if you swap the Labour red with the blue, he’d be a Tory.

The man is an awful PM and the only reason he won was because of how bad the Tories were [are].

I’d be shocked if he completes a full term tbh. https://t.co/8STrUS1ZJg

— ​𝗳Ƨ𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲🌙 (@F_Society01A) February 4, 2025

Two sides of the same cheek, this government and the previous. https://t.co/x78WBjOSs4

— Will the T wi tt er user (@hashtagwilbert) February 4, 2025

The fact that Labour is making their excuses and blaming the Tories is all well and good – they did cut council funding by 60%. However, Labour could be doing a lot more to rectify it.

Asked about large council tax rises govt minister Karin Smyth says the state of councils inherited by the govt is dire

Yes, because between 2010-2020 the Tories cut council funding across England by almost 60%. So what is the Labour govt doing about it? pic.twitter.com/dJmiukzTEP

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) February 4, 2025

Council tax increases: the thin end of the wedge

In a statement delivered to parliament on 3 February 2025, Angela Rayner announced a 6.8% cash terms increase in funding to local councils. This is a great start – but is it really putting right the 60% of funding which the Tories obliterated?

She also stated:

Change will not happen overnight, but this Settlement marks the beginning of the government’s commitment to rebuild and stabilise local government and run services that taxpayers can rely on. In 2026 to 2027, through the first multiyear Settlement in a decade, we will begin introducing an up-to-date assessment of councils’ funding needs and financial resources, allowing local government to plan for the long term and deliver best value for taxpayers’ money.

So obviously, the first port of call is making the tax payer foot the bill. Makes sense:

Council tax ridiculously high already, reductions should be put in place immediately. https://t.co/fajXvmm8Dt

— tom (@tomoutthere) February 4, 2025

This is not the first U-turn, or broken promise from this shower of Starmerite shitheads – and it probably won’t be the last. From the winter fuel payments, to yesterdays revelations about GB Energy not actually bringing energy bills down anytime soon, to this. All of these will hit the poorest, the hardest.

Maybe Starmer and his out-of-touch cabinet have the memory of a fish, but we do not.

Feature image via the Canary