Council 'instructed by government' to raise tax for residents

Plans to increase tax for Wigan residents by almost five per cent are “under instruction from the government”, according to council leaders.

Wigan Council leader Dave Molyneux and his team insist the proposed hike is necessary to fund public services and address the budget deficit of £20.4 million in the year ahead. The final decision on the budget and the 4.99 per cent tax rise will be confirmed once it has been approved by cabinet on February 16 and full council on March 1.

Speaking at a briefing ahead of the crunch vote, Coun Nazia Rehman, portfolio holder for finance at Wigan Council said: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly, it is something the government has instructed us to do.

READ MORE: 'He made me feel worthless - I was carrying his child but the beatings and abuse carried on'

For Wiganers in Band A properties, it works out as £46.88 extra per year, less than one pound a week, according to council data. Dave Molyneux, leader of the Labour-run council, said the increase was in line with government guidance as the local authority's fuel and wage bill increases, alongside its costs for services and products.

He said: “I’m not saying we are doing this with hands tied behind our backs, but it is looking as though we will be taking government guidance on this.

“The vast majority of councils across the country will be doing this as well. But what I am still confident about is that we will still have the lowest council tax in Greater Manchester.

“We may even have the lowest of all local authorities in the country. If we didn’t do this, it would certainly increase financial pressure.

“The way things are looking now there would be no get of jail free card from the government for funding [if things go wrong.