Overview

• The Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee recommends councils gain authority to revalue properties, reset bands, apply discounts and levy tourist charges ahead of comprehensive reform
• The government has pledged over £5 billion in extra grants on top of £69 billion this year while advancing its Fair Funding Review of local authority finances
• Analysts warn that updating valuations stuck at 1991 levels would drive substantial council tax rises in affluent areas where prices have surged
• Surrey County Council’s leader cautions that a proposed 100 percent equalisation model could create a funding cliff edge that even maximum 4.99 percent tax increases cannot bridge
• In April nearly nine in ten councils increased council tax by or near the 4.99 percent cap, underscoring persistent financial pressures on local services