THE Government has refused a request from Somerset Council to raise council tax 10% in a bid to stave off effective bankruptcy.
The authority is battling to fill a £100m budget blackhole amid spiralling social care costs and falling grants from central government.
Part of the plan to tackle the crisis – which the council has declared a ‘financial emergency’ – was to raise the share of the council tax by 10%.
However, local authorities are only allowed to raise the tax by up to 5%, before having to request permission from the government.
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Somerset Council did this, but on Monday (February 5), discovered the request had been refused by Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove (Con, Surrey Heath).
As well as the proposed rise in council tax, the authority also plans to slash spending on public services, and cut staff in a bid to balance the books.
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