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More council tax support needed for low-income households

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Next month Herefordshire Council will decide whether to raise council tax by a proposed 4.99%, as it tries and plug a potential budget gap of up to £16 million caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The raise is broken down as a 1.99% rise in core council tax and a precept 3% rise to support vulnerable people. For the average band D property this means an extra £6.54 a month. The raise would create a budget of £320 million for the coming year, including spending of £80 million on council-maintained schools. But the proposed rise comes at a time when many households are also struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic. People on furlough have had their wages cut and many others have been made redundant. The little increases we see here and there can add up to a lot and council leaders have to think carefully about the proposed increase in tax. THEY NEED TO DO THREE THINGS: 👉 Broaden the scope of eligibility for council tax reductions, to include those people who have been furloughed fo...
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Tories give council a thumping in Newton Farm

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From the perspective of Herefordshire Council's ruling coalition it would not be an exaggeration to call last Thursday's by-election result in Newton Farm a thrashing. The Conservative Party candidate Ann-Marie Probert won the seat comfortably with 282 votes, almost 100 more than her closest rival. What makes this result significant is that, despite their dominance across the county, the Conservatives have never represented the Newton Farm area since the council's formation in 1997. In fact, they've historically performed so poorly here that they have polled in last place positions in more than half of elections contested. During the May 2019 local elections, Tory candidate Jeremy Chapman again came last with just 43 votes and less than 8% of the vote share. Last week, Ann-Marie Probert claimed 42% of the vote. This should set alarm bells ringing for all coalition party councillors. Why? Because Ann-Marie won the election on the promise of fighting for a bypass referend...
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Herefordshire needs affordable homes

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Private developers have been allowed to call the shots for decades, building many homes that local people didn't need. But Herefordshire Council's current leadership are now showing their intent to put affordable housing back at the top of the agenda. Recently they have agreed plans to provide 2,500 new council homes over the next 10 years, the first time Herefordshire Council has owned housing stock since 2002. In December they announced plans to build 180 affordable homes in and around what is now Hereford's Merton Meadow car park. And grant money has been accepted from central government to buy and refurbish homes to house rough sleepers. This is great news. A home is a fundamental human need and a basic moral right, as vital as education or healthcare. Under the previous Conservative administration house-builders were allowed to ignore the smaller and affordable homes that Herefordshire needs. The lack of housing availability pushes prices up, creating more barriers ...
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