Nationally, the Labour Government is putting up taxes and causing your household bills to increase. Locally, the Liberal Democrats are also squeezing residents.
Last week I wrote about the cost of living, and how many household bills were increasing at the start of this month.
The cost of your T.V. License, water, energy, and Council Tax all shot up.
During the election Sir Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband told the public that a Labour Government would mean energy bills would be cut by £300. On the contrary energy bills are expected to rise by an average of £111.
Across the Borough, many households will feel squeezed by these increases, including working families – who politicians often refer to.
Some pensioners have had a tough winter. Almost 30,000 people living in Wokingham Borough were affected by the Government’s decision to scrap the Winter Fuel Allowance for those not receiving Pension Credit.
Pension Credit is only available to pensioners with a weekly income to £218.15 or a joint weekly income to £332.95 for a couple. To put that into context, it is around half the full-time salary of someone on the minimum wage.
In January, the rate of inflation rose to 3% in January, a jump of 0.5% on the previous month, and after a period of inflation declining under the previous Conservative Government. This reflected the fallout from the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget in which she put up employers’ National Insurance – a tax on jobs and employment. The Office for Budget Responsibility expects the cost to employers to be passed on to consumers and works as higher costs of goods and services and lower pay increases.
As the Labour Government are making it harder for people at a national level, so too are the Liberal Democrats running councils across our Borough. Liberal Democrat-run Wokingham Borough Council increased Council Tax by 4.99%, more than the rate of inflation of 2.8%.
Liberal Democrat-run Earley Town Council and Wokingham Town Council increased their precepts – their own charge added to Council Tax bills – by 5.3% and 6% respectively, more than the rate of inflation. This is despite Earley having reserves of twice the annual budget of the Council.
By contrast, Woodley Town Council, run by the Conservatives, froze its precept for 2025/26.
It’s not just Council Tax and precepts. The Liberal Democrats are making it harder if you need to run a car. The cost of town centre parking is increasing for the third time, after they have more than doubled in less than 3 years. Under the Liberal Democrats, charging hours have also been significantly increased in the mornings and late evenings, and charging has been introduced on Sundays.
Parking charges have also increased outside of town centres in places like California Country Park, so it is now more expensive to walk the dog or take children or grandchildren for a summer picnic.
Other fees and charges for residents set by the Liberal Democrat run Council are also going up. They will increase by more than the rate of inflation, off the back of two years of sky-rocketing charges.
Conservatives want fees and charges to be kept as low as possible – so that you keep more of your own money.
Labour promised change, and they certainly seem to be delivering that only they didn’t tell you it would be change for the worse.
Cllr Pauline Jorgensen is the leader of Wokingham Conservatives
