Westminster has ‘completely failed’ on social care and council tax, Andy Burnham reportedly told a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference.
The Greater Manchester mayor told the event that local government’s finances were on questionable ‘foundations’ and warned this was a ‘big risk’ to devolution.
He said the ‘ongoing nightmare’ of the social care crisis and the current council tax system were ‘big’ drivers of the financial issues facing councils, according to the Mirror.
‘I think [council tax] does need to be revalued, and if that is perceived as a wealth tax by some people with very big, very expensive properties, who will have to pay more, I’m not going to shy away from saying that’s exactly what they should be doing. Council tax should be being constantly revalued,’ he said.
The mayor also called for a tourist tax to help cities fund the increase in transport costs caused by growth or visitors.
