Council tax

• Experts call for an end to imprisonment for council tax debt

  English councils are being urged to end the use of imprisonment for the non-payment of council tax.

  

• Healey unveils council tax levy on holiday homes

  Labour would double council tax on second homes to help families living in temporary accommodation, shadow housing secretary John Healey is expected to announce later today.

  

• Households owe £18.9bn on everyday bills

  Households owe nearly £19bn on essential bills such as council tax and utilities, Citizens Advice has warned today.

  

• Haringey to reform council tax support

  Haringey LBC could invest £1.6m in 2019/20 to allow some of its poorest residents to not pay council tax.

  

• MPs accuse councils of ‘overzealous’ debt collection

  The overzealous and uncompromising collection of debt by local councils is driving vulnerable people into further financial difficulty, MPs have warned today.

  

• Care leavers exempt from paying council tax in Manchester

  Manchester City Council has announced care leavers will be exempt from paying council tax until they are 25.

  

• Councils given power to increase taxation on empty homes

  Councils will be allowed to triple the council tax on homes left empty for five to 10 years, following an amendment to a government bill.

  

• Councils call for tax increases on empty homes

  Council leaders have called for the power to double the amount of council tax on homes that have been left empty between two and five years.

  

• Rise in children's services spending

  The amount expected to be spent on children’s social care in 2018/19 is up 6.8% or £542m compared to the figure in 2017/18 budgets, latest figures have shown.

  

• MPs say levy for over 40s could fund free social care

  People aged over 40 should pay a dedicated social care premium to fund free care in the future, MPs have said.