AT Harlow Council’s meeting on Thursday 3 November, the Harlow Labour Group tabled a motion about action the Council could take to ease cost of living pressures. 

The leader of Harlow Labour Chris Vince said:

“The Harlow Conservatives supported the measures the opposition put forward, but pledged to go further by “taking all possible measures in next year’s budget setting process – as it did this year – to ease the cost of living through the Council Tax system”. 

The Conservative-run Harlow Council cut Harlow Council Tax by £50 this year on top of the £150 Government Council Tax rebate – believed to be the biggest Council Tax cut in UK history. 

The amended motion simply sought to ensure the Council did everything possible to support residents with the cost of living when it comes to setting the Council Tax level, but that was opposed by the Labour councillors, who raised Council Tax in each year of their running of the Council. 

It is clear there is a dividing line between the Harlow Conservatives and Harlow Labour group when it comes to Council Tax. 

A Harlow Conservative spokesperson said: “The Labour group brought forward some very sensible suggestions last night to help with the cost of living, which we fully supported. However, we felt it was important to go further and commit to doing everything we possibly could when it came to the Council’s Budget.

“Council Tax is the single biggest thing the Council can control in terms of the cost of living, which is why we cut Harlow Council Tax this year and we are committed to doing everything we can to ease the cost of living in the next Budget. 

“It is a great shame to the people of Harlow that the Harlow Labour group would rather play politics and stick with their entrenched ideology that they must hike Harlow Council Tax, rather than take real action on the cost of living through measures they can control.

“Yet again, we have seen that only the Harlow Conservatives will keep Council Tax down and going back to same old Labour running Harlow Council would simply mean higher Harlow Council Tax bills for every resident in our town.”