Confirmed: Bedford Borough Council Tax Rise Amongst Lowest in the Country

The full, final list of council tax rises across the country has revealed that just 3 out of 56 unitary councils have a lower increase than Bedford Borough for 2018/19.

The list confirms that in addition to being a lower rise than all of its neighbouring authorities, Bedford Borough's increase under Mayor Dave Hodgson is amongst the lowest in the country.

Under Mayor Dave, Bedford Borough Council has delivered several council tax freezes, and this year's main council tax rise is below the rate of inflation. The lower-than-average rise comes despite the huge cut in government funding for the council, as Mayor Dave and the Liberal Democrats fight to keep bills down for hard-pressed local households while also fighting to save vital local services.

Commenting on his Facebook page, Mayor Dave said:

"Just seen the final data on council tax increases nationally. Our council tax rise is not only the lowest of all neighbouring councils but is almost the lowest in the country for unitary councils, with only 3 out of 56 having a lower increase this year.'

"We'll keep up our system of rigorous financial management to try to avoid the widespread service cuts and rising bills seen elsewhere, while making the case for a fairer deal from the government for local services."