By Daniel Dunford, senior data journalist
Labour have released research showing how councils they control charge less council tax than Conservative ones.
We’ve been doing a bit of our own research into council finances recently, and setting council tax levels is not as simple as a political choice.
With many central government grants for councils being removed in recent years, council tax is increasingly the main source of money that local authorities must bring in to pay for everything they spend – on things like social care, road maintenance, street lights and bin collections.
Social care is by far the most significant expenditure. Councils spend almost two thirds of their total budget on it, on average, leaving just a third to pay for everything else.
For councils with older populations, these social care costs can really rack up.
Our research found that the council areas with the highest percentage of over-65s had increased their social care spending almost seven times faster than areas with the least, over the past decade, as the population continues to age.
Labour control three quarters of councils in London and other metropolitan areas, while the Conservatives control 20 out of 24 county councils – which typically include large rural areas.
As a result, Labour councils are significantly younger on average than Conservative ones. A total of 21% of people in Conservative councils are over-65, compared with 14% in Labour areas.
That means for every two older people Labour councils are responsible for, the Conservatives are responsible for three.
Given this context, the fact that Labour are able to charge lower council tax is perhaps less of a political achievement and more just a reflection on how expensive the needs that their residents demand are.
