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# Labour group leader slams Lichfield District Council’s tax rise decision
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/labour-group-leader-slams-lichfield-district-councils-tax-rise-decision/
- Published: 2014-02-26T11:06:06.000Z
- Updated: 2014-02-26T11:07:12.000Z
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 20:48, News

A Burntwood councillor has said the decision to raise council tax has come at the wrong time for local residents.

Lichfield District Council has confirmed plans to raise their portion of bills by 1.99 per cent at a meeting earlier this week.

[![Cllr Steve Norman](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/stevenormancrop.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2012/04/24/lichfield-district-council-not-convinced-over-need-for-return-to-weekly-bin-collections/stevenormancrop/)

Cllr Steve Norman

But the controversial decision [has been branded “democracy dodging”](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2014/02/25/lichfield-district-council-accused-of-democracy-dodging-on-tax-rise/) as the rate is just below the two per cent figure which would require a referendum to give people a say on the rise.

And the opposition Labour group leader, Cllr Steve Norman, has now insisted residents should be given a say on the future direction of the local authority.

He said: “This is not the time to increase council tax and at least they could have waited until after the consultation the Labour group has been asking for to be carried out with residents on what they – not us – think are the important services that they want to retain.

“It was interesting to learn that no member had any confidence in the economy improving so that new homes could be built or new businesses created which would reduce the need for increasing council tax and making the dramatic cuts that are now inevitable.”

The Labour group had supported [the original plan to freeze council tax](http://www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/5830/item%5F4%5Fmedium%5Fterm%5Ffinancial%5Fstrategy%5F2014%5F17?ref=lichfieldlive.co.uk) and use £405,880 of the local authority’s financial reserves.

But the approved proposal will see the 1.99 per cent rise with £358,888 of reserves used.

A Conservative report to the meeting warned that the local authority needed to reduce its reliance on reserves in order to avoid falling off a “financial cliff edge”.

[![Cllr Mike Wilcox](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/wilcox.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2013/03/22/council-leader-confirms-plan-for-more-smaller-affordable-homes-in-lichfield-and-burntwood/wilcox/)

Cllr Mike Wilcox

Cllr Mike Wilcox, leader of Lichfield District Council, added: “We’d prefer not to put council tax up, but we have to be realistic.

“Over the past few years the government has slashed our funding, and by 2019 the grant we normally get each year to help fund local services will end. Because of this we need to look at all ways to bring in extra income and reduce our costs in order to balance our books.

“Increasing council tax is just one way we can help to protect more of the local services our residents rely on.

“Some councils are freezing the council tax this year, and the government will provide funding equivalent to a one percent rise in council tax.

“We’ve chosen not to freeze council tax as it will leave us in a worse position long-term and could force us to cut even more valued local services in future years.”

But the explanation has been dismissed by Cllr Norman, who said the ruling Conservative group were “used to raising the reserves”.

“This is a pattern with the Conservative group where they have increased Council Tax up to the maximum allowed before a referendum has to be called,” he said.

“In 2008 they were planning a 4.5 per cent increase year on year for example, but as the Coalition Government rules changed this reduced to 3.4 per cent by 2012.

“The Conservatives used to raiding the reserves. Last year they used £636,930 of reserves and in 2009/10 they had raided it of £658,000.”