The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has called the government to give local (parish and town) councils a multi-year exemption on council tax referendum principles.
NALC welcomed plans for local councils to be exempt from council tax referendum principles for the 2022/23 financial year. However, only a multi-year exemption would give local councils the certainty and security needed for financial planning.
During the 2021/22 financial year, the average Band D precept rose by just 2.8%. The lowest percentage point increase in the last decade and the smallest cash increase since 2015/16. NALC argued that such percentage increases usually only amounted to pennies for local councils.