Thomas Bridge 01 May 2015

Pickles reveals Tories blocked Lib Dem push for new council tax powers

Eric Pickles has claimed he blocked the Lib Dems from handing councils new powers to impose fresh taxes.

The Conservative communities secretary last night fired off a string of tweets detailing local government policies his Coalition partners had tried, but failed, to implement.

He said that while Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg had pushed for local authorities to receive new powers to introduce taxes, the policy had failed to gain traction because the ‘Conservatives said no’.

Paraphrasing from comedy programme Little Britain, Pickles went on to list a string of local polices to which his party had ‘said no’.

His controversial Twitter spree took place as party leaders were grilled on the BBC’s Question Time.

A Liberal Democrat spokesperson told LocalGov: ‘Liberal Democrats believe passionately in localism and transparency. The relationship between councillors and their constituents is decided at the ballot box. For this reason we are planning to remover the council tax referendum threshold and give councils more opportunity to raise the funds they need to pay for services and stand by their records at election time.

‘We also believe that local people and councils know better than central government how to raise and spend money. This is why we will give local areas more freedoms, through Local Enterprise Partnerships to invest and build their local economies.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist

Oxfordshire County Council
£62215 - £72293
How about joining The Clinical Team at Oxfordshire County Council in our new Community Family Clinic initiative? Oxford
Recuriter: Oxfordshire County Council

Traffic Management Officer - WMF2114e

Westmorland and Furness Council
£37,035 - £37,938
Are you an experienced and motivated professional looking to take the next step in your traffic management career? Cumbria / Various
Recuriter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Peripatetic Support Assistant

Wakefield Council
£16,415.00 - £16,675.23 Grade 4, 24.5 hours, Permanent
Are you caring, compassionate, and friendly? Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Wakefield Council

Peripatetic Support Assistant

Wakefield Council
£14,070.00 - £14,293.05 Grade 4, 21 hours, Permanent
Are you caring, compassionate, and friendly? Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Wakefield Council

Recruitment Support Officer

Durham County Council
£25,584 to £27,711 p.a. (Grade 5) pay award pending
We are looking for a Recruitment Support Officer to join our team on a temporary basis until 31 March 2026. In this role, you will provide a comprehe Spennymoor
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner