Council tax will rise in Swindon, parties agree

All the parties competing to run Swindon Borough Council have agreed council tax will have to go up next year.

The present Labour administration has increased levels by the maximum permitted, despite Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer talking of a freeze during a previous visit to the Wiltshire town.

The Conservatives, who used to run the council in Swindon, as well as the Greens and Liberal Democrats, reckon further rises are inevitable.

Reform UK agrees - while saying councils it controls have lower than average increases, despite its administration in Worcestershire recently raising tax by 9%.

"It has to go up," said Reform's candidate James Ward, citing the need to keep pace with inflation.

Parties now appear more wary of making bold pledges on council tax, shaped by the experiences of recent years.

In March 2023, Sir Keir chose Swindon to launch Labour's campaign for the local elections.

"Labour would freeze council tax next year, using that windfall tax that hasn't been collected," he told activists.

Later, in the BBC Points West studio, he was asked: "So will you do that on coming into power?"

"Well we're saying what we would do now if we were in power, you know, soon as a general election, the better," he answered.

Labour won power in Swindon in May 2023, and in the country the following year.

The party is collecting more windfall tax - but there has been no freeze on council tax.

Also running up against the realities of power has been Reform UK.

During last year's local elections, some candidates talked of a freeze.

Instead, in the 13 councils where it took charge, this year's rise has averaged 4.3%, while the average elsewhere was 4.8%.

When he visited Swindon for a Reform election rally, Nigel Farage said Swindon too could have slightly lower rises.

I asked him about Worcestershire, where his party put through England's biggest council tax increase of 9%.

"Well, Worcestershire, I have to say, we took minority control of a virtually bankrupt council," Farage said.

"I wish we hadn't bothered."

Perhaps no surprise then that the five major parties competing in Swindon's election are all talking of rises, not freezes.

At the biggest debate of the campaign they were each asked what they would do.

"Council tax is going to have to keep going up," said Labour council leader Jim Robbins.

"Due to national funding formulas, it will unfortunately need to go up," said Green Tom Butcher.

Conservatives' Gary Sumner agreed, adding: "We don't know what level yet."

And Liberal Democrat Liz Mearns concluded: "It's impossible for anybody to promise they can cut council tax next year, no matter who they are and where they've come from."

The choice for voters then is not whether parties will put up tax, but how well they will spend the money it brings in.

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