New data from the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) shows the average band D council tax bill in England has more than tripled to over £2,000 since its introduction in 1993 – a real terms increase of a whopping 79%. Going from a typical annual bill of £568 thirty years ago to £2,065 today…

As households grapple with record local rate rises, the TPA research reveals 244 councils, or 57% of the UK’s total, have never decreased their level of council tax. From 1993-94 to 2023-24, there were 9,462 individual council tax increases, compared to 404 freezes and just 363 cuts. In other words, the chance of those recent hikes being meaningfully reversed aren’t great.

Last night Jeremy Hunt ordered a review into public sector waste, vowing “a relentless focus on efficiency and innovation across both the public and private sectors” to ensure better value for taxpayers. He also promised to put the country “on a path” to lower taxes. With taxpayers footing the bill for woke art projects, Stonewall membership, and rainbow zebra crossings – all while seeing their bills go up – you’d hope that path is a short one. Guido suspects it’s just short enough to make it to the start of the next general election campaign…