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Recently the Local Government Authority speculated that council tax will rise next year to fill a £2.2m black hole in town hall finances. And almost every day a new story arrives with sad tales of why or how much council tax is expected to rise for the luckless homeowners in this or that community.
Of course, this is the traditional time for councils to squeal, but Peter Bolton King, chief executive at the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) believes that councils who build more homes will be able to stave off council tax increases.
"Fears that council tax will increase next year comes as little surprise to the NAEA," he said. "Many local planning authorities are inhibiting growth in the housing market by restricting the number of new homes built. This means the number of dwellings that local councils can source income from is static."
"The cost of running local councils is on the rise as demand on them to improve local and emergency services increases. As these costs escalate council tax must also rise to fund these needs," he said.
"It is important that the release of new homes is part of a strategic plan that reflects the needs of the area in question. However unless rules restricting the number of new dwellings built are relaxed, the cost of council tax will continue to grow."
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