Independent opposition at Nottinghamshire Council blast Tory leadership’s ‘tax bombshell’

Members of the Independent Alliance – the joint largest opposition party at County Hall – described the plans as a “tax bombshell” for Nottinghamshire residents.

The alliance says the rise mean the average council taxpayer will be paying £79 more a year at time, members claim.

Coun Jason Zadrozny, leader of the Independent Alliance and member for Ashfields, as well as Ashfield Council leader, said: The county council is expecting hard-pressed residents to put their hands in the their pocket yet again.

"This new rise will mean the average council tax for Nottinghamshire Council has gone up by more than £350 a year since 2017.

"Residents will be furiously questioning whether they get value for money, with complaints about the broken roads and pavements at a record high.

"The Independent Alliance opposition group are working on a plan cut this rise and protect residents.”

Coun Francis Purdue-Horan, Independent, said: News council tax in Nottinghamshire will rise by 4.84 per cent – meaning the average bill will go up by about £79 per household – will be a bitter pill to swallow for hard-pressed taxpayers living through a cost-of-living crisis.”

“The Conservative Government is using Conservative councils like Nottinghamshire to make up for systematic cuts to local government funding.”

And Coun Lee Waters, member for Hucknall South, said: “The Tories stated putting council tax up by nearly five per cent was a ‘last resort.’

“People will be furious with this rise.”

However, Coun Ben Bradley, council leader and member for Mansfield North, as well as Conservative MP for Mansfield, said: “We’re trying to protect residents as far as we possibly can.

“It’s a balancing act and I’m the first person to say raising taxes every year isn’t sustainable.

"But our goal is to get to a place where the council is fully sustainable and we don’t need to have those conversations.”

Coun Zadrozny’s Ashfield Independents, who control Ashfield Council, are themselves facing a decision in the coming weeks over whether to raise the district’s share of council tax for this year, but this is still yet to be discussed by the council’s cabinet.

Labour-led Mansfield Council has already revealed plans to freeze its share.