Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her polices of the affordability of the average band D Council Tax bill, in the context of recent increases.

Local authorities are responsible for setting council tax levels, taking account of local circumstances. The government continues to set referendum principles to give taxpayers a final say over excessive increases. The council tax system contains a range of discounts and exemptions to reflect personal circumstances. Furthermore, every council is required to put in place a Local Council Tax Support scheme which reduces the bill of low-income households.