The two major political parties are claiming responsibility for local government's successful campaign to restrain council tax rises. Local government minister, John Healey, published official CLG figures on 26 March confirming average Band D tax rises for 2009/10 at 3%. Average household bills increased by even less – 2.6% – the lowest annual rise since the tax was introduced in 1993. The low increases follow heavy lobbying from ministers, keen to limit tax rises as households feel the pinch from the recession. In February, for example, Mr Healey toured Labour-led boroughs in London which had frozen their tax precept this year, promoting those councils that had invested in services and still cut costs through efficiency savings. Mr Healey said the low tax rises were also achieved because of Labour's decision to switch to a three-year funding regime and generous grant increases. But Conservative shadow local government minister, Bob Neill, claimed Tory councils were responsible for minimising tax increases. Analysis of Band D rises, he said, showed Conservative-led councils charged £87 a year less than Liberal Democrat-led authorities, and £18 a year less than Labour-led councils. Mr Neill accused the Government of ‘creative accountancy to hide the fact that their councils cost more and deliver less'. Liberal Democrat local government spokeswoman Julia Goldsworthy urged the government to replace the ‘unfair' council tax ‘with a fair system based on the ability to pay'.
