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COUNCIL TAX

Scrap council tax referendum limits, says DCN

District councils should have the powers to increase council tax referendum limits to at least 10% as a first step to scrapping them altogether, district council chiefs say.

District councils should have the powers to increase council tax referendum limits to at least 10% as a first step to scrapping them altogether, district council chiefs say.

The District Council Network (DCN) has published a new prospectus setting out how a partnership between the new Government and district councils can help transform local places.

One of its main asks is that councils be given greater freedoms and flexibilities to raise income and support themselves.

The prospectus urges the next government to empower councils to increase fees to recover the full cost of planning and licensing services.

It also calls for local housing authorities to be allowed to retain all the extra income from the council tax supplement on second homes.

The network is also asking the next government to give councils more local control of business taxes and increase business rates retention to 75% of receipts.

COUNCIL TAX

Poverty costs us all - so we all need to act

By Matthew Oakley | 15 September 2025

Tackling UK poverty requires cross-societal action, local government leadership, and a new social contract, with coordinated efforts to improve housing, well...

COUNCIL TAX

Going beyond the job description

By Matt Jones | 11 September 2025

Matt Jones takes a look at the strategic value of interim leaders in local government

COUNCIL TAX

Warmer Homes London: A blueprint for greener, healthier, and fairer communities

By Brenda Dacres | 10 September 2025

Mete Coban and Brenda Dacres explain how Warmer Homes London is uniting boroughs, housing providers, and partners to scale up home retrofit across the capita...

COUNCIL TAX

Essex claims three unitary reorganisation would best tackle debt crisis

By Paul Marinko | 09 September 2025

Essex CC’s leadership has claimed its favoured three unitary model of reorganisation would best manage the county’s ‘heavily indebted’ local government system.

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