§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he intends to use his reserve capping powers this year in respect of any local authorities' council tax increases; and if he will make a statement. [69416]
§ Mr. RaynsfordIn our White Paper, "Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services", we made clear that we would use our reserve capping powers only in exceptional circumstances. We have carefully considered this year's increases and concluded it would not be appropriate to use the powers this year. (However, we remain concerned about the level of council tax increases and the willingness of local people to pay them. We have issued guidance on best practice on consulting local people about tax and spend decisions and we will be looking at how effectively authorities have engaged their local tax payers on future council tax increases.)