REFORM Party candidate Matt Snape has slammed the authority’s Council Tax rise for the coming year and labelled it ‘extortionate’.
Worcestershire County Council put its share of the Council Tax bill up by 2.5 per cent last month with County Hall chiefs pointing to the impact of the pandemic but also the need for investment in areas such roads, traffic congestion and flood prevention for the rise.
But Mr Snape, who will fight the Evesham South seat for the Reform Party, said it was a ‘joke’ Band D council tax bands in Worcestershire are more expensive than in Kensington and Chelsea.
“I cannot believe it is cheaper to live in Kensington and Chelsea than in certain parts of Worcestershire,” he said.
“If I am elected as Evesham South’s Reform Party councillor, then I vow to scrutinise what these tax increases are paying for and see if we can reduce wasteful spending instead.”
According to the respective local authority figures, the total council tax bill for Band D taxpayers in Kensington and Chelsea is going to be £1,313 for the 2021/22 tax year, while many taxpayers in Evesham will pay £1,855.57.
Many Band A taxpayers in the London borough will be paying £875.73 a year, and those living in Evesham will be paying over £1,200 this tax year.
“At a time when many towns in Worcestershire are struggling with lockdown and the fear of losing their jobs when the furlough scheme ends this simply cannot continue,” he added.
