'We never promised not to raise council tax', says Lincolnshire leader as rise not ruled out

The leader of says no decisions have been made on whether to raise council tax next year. However, Councillor Sean Matthews said that his party was focusing on eliminating waste over keeping taxes low.

There has been speculation in the national media that Reform-led councils will be forced to increase for the next financial year, despite their own manifesto promises. The Lincolnshire authority is waiting to see how much money the government provides for 2024/25 before making budget decisions.

“[A rise is] not inevitable,” Cllr Matthews told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “It’s too early to tell, we have to see what the government gives us in terms of the new funding policy, which comes out.

“We never stood on a manifesto not to raise council tax – we stood on a platform of reduc