Tory U Turn on Tax Rise

A National Solution to Social Care Crisis Needed Urgently

Many of us will be relieved that Surrey County Council have decided not to raise our Council taxes by 15% but the increase of 4.99%, which has now been agreed, will still be a huge blow to some who are finding it difficult to make ends meet. Over the last 6 years council tax in Surrey has gone up 19.3%, whilst many have seen little increase in wages. In spite of the increases we are facing a staggering £123m cuts to services in the next 12 months.

3% of this year's rise will be spent on Social Care, which is badly needed, but this will only plug the gap for a short time. The Social Care problem needs to be resolved at a national level.

There are rumours that a deal was done between Tory led Surrey County Council and the Tory government, to prevent a referendum being carried out, as well as saving some face before the County elections in May of this year. Whether this happened or not the situation is a fiasco and both Surrey Council and the Government should be held to account about the current mess of the council's finances.

The county councillors in Surrey, who represent Runnymede, are all Conservatives which is not a true representation of the people who live across Runnymede. We must encourage everyone to register and vote in the upcoming elections to deliver a change in power.