Help us keep the lights on Support us
The Bristol Cable

Victory for campaign as mayor scraps council tax changes

Ideas and Action

The plans would have hit 16,000 of the poorest households.

Mayor Marvin Rees has scrapped plans to change the Council Tax Reduction scheme, at least for the coming year. The plans would have removed the full council tax discount from 16,000 of Bristol’s poorest households.

The move follows mounting pressure from a campaign led by ACORN community union and backed by Bristol Lib Dems, the Green Party and multiple local Labour party branches, as previously reported.

“This is a vindication of all the hard work that ACORN members have put in over the last few months, taking on what looked like a hopeless campaign and smashing it into the ground. We can fight and we can win,” a representative from ACORN said.

Campaigners called on the mayor to “put a clear distance between Labour Party actions in power and Conservative Party policies”.

ACORN had called on the mayor and Labour to “put a clear distance between Labour Party actions in power and Conservative Party policies”.

As recently as last week Rees hit back at the campaign for not offering alternative solutions for plugging the gap in the council’s finances. However, with multiple Labour councillors pledging to vote against the plans amid concerns that the changes would further burden Bristol’s most deprived areas – and achieve very little, if any, savings – the mayor has now taken heed of the calls for a rethink.

In the annual ‘State of the City’ address, delivered yesterday, Rees outlined how the administration had brought “Labour values of fairness and equality of opportunity” to the running of the city. Referring to the Council Tax Reduction scheme the mayor said “for this year at least, we will recommend to full council that we retain this scheme intact”.

The change of heart will mean that Rees may dodge another sticky question. The council’s Greens and Lib Dems have been challenging the legality of the public consultation on the changes on the basis that it only offered no options except cuts. The council stood by the legality of the consultation, but refused requests to disclose the legal advice to support their position.

Carla Denyer, Green councillor for Clifton Down, said: “I warmly welcome the mayor’s u-turn on this and congratulate the grass-roots campaign that has proven to be so successful. Greens have been campaigning alongside residents for months saying that cutting the scheme would have a devastating effect on the city’s most vulnerable residents.”

Referring to the fact that the council will review the scheme next year, Cllr Denyer continued, “While we welcome this 11th-hour decision we are deeply concerned that the mayor has put a proviso in to say it is saved ‘for this year at least’. I know that residents have been worrying about this and it seems astonishing that the mayor still holds open the possibility that this will then be forced upon them next year.”

A representative for ACORN said, “We’ve done it before and we’ll do it again, because we are ACORN and we refuse to lose.”

 

Keep the Lights On

Investigative journalism strengthens democracy – it’s a necessity, not a luxury.

The Cable is Bristol’s independent, investigative newsroom. Owned and steered by more than 2,600 members, we produce award-winning journalism that digs deep into what’s happening in Bristol.

We are on a mission to become sustainable – will you help us get there?

Join now

What makes us different?

Comments

Post a comment

Mark if this comment is from the author of the article

By posting a comment you agree to our Comment Policy.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related content

Marvin Rees receives payment from energy giant he awarded massive contract to

US firm Ameresco is now a paying client of Lord Rees of Easton, who struck the £1 billion City Leap decarbonisation deal with the firm when he was Bristol’s mayor.

As Bristol battles to build affordable housing, developers are still gaming the system

The Cable has uncovered a brazen attempt by prolific property developers to escape building affordable housing, at a time when the city is still falling well short of its own targets.

Explained: What do council funding reforms mean for Bristol?

After austerity hollowed out council budgets, the new government is changing how local authorities are funded, so is there light at the end of the tunnel for Bristol?

Project helping new dads cope with parenthood faces uncertain future

Dad Matters, set up in 2024, has been supporting men across Bristol to navigate the tricky challenges of early fatherhood – but the council is now working out if it can continue funding the service.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked, with former Lord Mayor Paul Goggin on homelessness, mental health and the struggle for south Bristol votes

'It's been eventful', says Paul Goggin, of a life that has featured both rough sleeping and local politics. He joins Neil Maggs to talk housing, faith, and whether Labour should fear Reform in wards like Hartcliffe and Withywood.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Amanda Sharman on leading the charge for boat-dwellers’ rights

Who are the boat-dwellers living around Bristol's harbour, and why have they been at loggerheads with Bristol City Council? Neil Maggs chats to Bristol Boaters' Community Association co-chair Amanda Sharman to find out.

Join our newsletter

Get the essential stories you won’t find anywhere else

Subscribe to the Cable newsletter to get our weekly round-up direct to your inbox every Saturday

Join our newsletter

Subscribe to the Cable newsletter

Get our latest stories & essential Bristol news
sent to your inbox every Saturday morning