Housing Minister Michael Gove has accused Labour of plans to hike up council tax on homes with larger gardens by using satellites to snoop on the size of their properties if the party is elected. The Mail has more.
Sir Keir Starmer’s party has dismissed the claims as “fantasy”, but Housing Secretary Michael Gove is standing firm that Labour will “hammer” families if the party wins the General Election.
Mr. Gove recently accused Labour of “using Big Brother tactics” after it emerged the Labour-run Welsh Government was using satellites to spy on homeowners living in properties with large gardens or that have undergone renovations and extensions.
As well as aerial and street view photography, data from planning applications, information about energy efficiency and statistics on school performance and crime rates are also being assessed as part of an overhaul of council tax bands being drawn up by the Senedd.
It means families who live in bigger, better insulated homes, in areas with good schools or lower incidence of crime, could be hit with higher council tax bills.
Although Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that a Labour Government will not raise taxes, he has also described the Welsh Government as a “blueprint” for “what Labour can do across the U.K.”
Mr. Gove said he believes Labour is looking with interest at the Welsh initiative, which has been postponed until 2028, to “road test” a similar system in England.
Moving homes up by even one band could seriously hit homeowners’ finances.
Bumping a Band D home in England, for example, which currently pays £2,171 a year council tax, into the next Band E, would amount to nearly £500 more a year.
He said: “Straight from the same old Labour playbook, these Big Brother tactics will punish families with higher bills simply for having good schools or lower crime.”
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