Key Question:
Do council tax increases affect vote share?
Theory
London Labour councils put council tax up to the cap in years 1, 2 and 3 of the administration ( a 2% or 3% increase). On year four most Labour groups will debate it with some councillors saying put it up to the max because services are going bust and others saying that the electoral cost would be too high. Generally speaking most Labour councils in London (London is significant because of the all out every 4 year cycle) will split the difference and put it up 1% or not at all. If we can prove that council tax has no negative impact on electoral prospects then we would help make a strong case for more money invested in public services. In London we are talking about £1 million extra for every 1% increase in every borough. At a time when essential services are being cut this could make a significant difference in people's lives as well as debunking academics who have argued otherwise
Key Data
Levels of council tax by local authority comparing the Average (Band D 2 Adult equivalent) council tax (including Adult Social Care precept and excluding local precepts) in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Levels of council tax by local authority comparing the Average (Band D 2 Adult equivalent) council tax (including Adult Social Care precept and excluding local precepts) in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Key Question: Do council tax increases affect vote share?
Theory London Labour councils put council tax up to the cap in years 1, 2 and 3 of the administration ( a 2% or 3% increase). On year four most Labour groups will debate it with some councillors saying put it up to the max because services are going bust and others saying that the electoral cost would be too high. Generally speaking most Labour councils in London (London is significant because of the all out every 4 year cycle) will split the difference and put it up 1% or not at all. If we can prove that council tax has no negative impact on electoral prospects then we would help make a strong case for more money invested in public services. In London we are talking about £1 million extra for every 1% increase in every borough. At a time when essential services are being cut this could make a significant difference in people's lives as well as debunking academics who have argued otherwise
Key Data
source: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/604556/Table_9.xlsx
source: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/335392/Table_10_text.xlsx
Task Create below script to extract the data and create % increase from 2013-14 - 2017-18 to explore links with 2018 election results.