Council tax in Rochdale will go up by maximum after one-year freeze proposals rejected

Michelle Obama is the most recent celebrity to comment on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. The Sussex’s appearance on the controversial special, grabbed the entire world’s attention when the Duchess revealed there were ‘concerns’ about the colour of her unborn daughter.

Kate Forbes confirmed the freeze would be nationwide today and hailed it as a welcome move in the country's recovery from the pandemic.As part of the 2021-22 Holyrood Budget town hall chiefs were offered £90 million – the equivalent of around a 3% council tax increase – on top of the local government settlement to compensate councils who agreed to the tax freeze.It was part of a wider £11.6 billion funding package from the Scottish Government that will be distributed to local authorities over

Council Tax you pay depends on the ‘band’ assigned to your home, however, it is estimated that over 400,000 householders in Scotland and England are currently on the wrong one, which means thousands of people are paying too much money.The good news is that you can easily check and challenge your Council Tax banding for free online at the Scottish Assessors Association (SAA) website here.If you are successful, not only could you slash what you pay from April 2021, but you could receive a back

with the press and the royal family.Following the Duchess' bombshell interview with Oprah, which aired on March 7, "The View" panelist weighed in and somewhat likened herself to Prince Harry's wife. "In no way am I comparing any of my life experiences to Meghan Markle … but, I do know what it's like to be on a TV show or a political campaign where people are leaking stories about you with the sole intention to make you look bad, and let me tell you, it would do a number on your mental health

Council Tax bills for 2021/22 are being issued this month and the amount of you will be paying from April depends on the size and value of your property, plus the number of people who live there.Council Tax valuation bands are used to determine how much you pay - your home will be given a valuation band between A and H, based on your property's value at April 1,1991.Newer properties are given a band when they are built and are based on an estimate of their value had they existed on April 1,

click on this link, enter your email address, and select 'MyWigan News'.Speaking after the budget meeting, council leader David Molyneux explained why the ruling Labour group decided it was time to end the council tax freeze.He said: "We've got to take the decision very carefully and very fairly."That's why we kept our council tax the lowest in Greater Manchester."It's important to us that we try to keep that cost at a minimum."We've got to deliver a balanced budget.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) is encouraging people to check if they could reduce their Council Tax bill this month after new figures revealed its network delivered £2.3 million in savings over the last 12 months.Research by Citizens Advice Scotland shows that people who used its services saved an average of £393 on their Council Tax bill.Analysis released earlier this year revealed that 2,257 people approached the Citizens Advice network for help with a complex debt issue involving Council

TikTok calling for Eminem to be cancelled has been further spotlighted by people’s reactions to the rapper’s new ‘Tone Deaf’ lyric video.On Thursday (March 5) Eminem released a new animated video for the 2020 ‘Music To Be Murdered By – Side B’ track, featuring the lyric: “I won’t stop even when my hair turns grey (I’m tone-deaf)/ ‘Cause they won’t stop until they cancel me.”The line was seen by fans as a retort to a TikTok campaign that appeared to have started in February but gained traction

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direct to your inboxTaxpayers in Manchester will see their council tax bills rise from April after the council set its yearly budget - which includes cuts of £41m.Leaders say the 4.99 per cent increase will raise £8.5m to protect vital frontline services such as social care after a year in which finances have been decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic.It will mean the annual council tax bill for Band D properties will rise by £71.13 to £1,496.59 - before taking into account mayoral and police

Renfrewshire council tax charges 2021/22Band A - £876.95Band B - £1,023.10Band C - £1,169.26Band D - £1,315.42Band E - £1,728.32Band F - £2,137.56Band G - £2,576.03Band H - £3,222.78Main spending commitments in budget

direct to your inboxEvery local authority in Greater Manchester is preparing to raise council tax bills from April to keep services running despite the financial impact of Covid-19.The budgets of town halls across the city-region have been hit hard by the pandemic, with some councils having to plug huge gaps in their finances.While the government has paid out millions of pounds in emergency funding to councils, their leaders say the money does not go far enough.The government has also allowed

click on this link, enter your email address, and select 'MyWigan News'.He also announced a pledge to plant a tree for every citizen of the borough who has died due to Covid, adding to the 70,000 which were planted this year.Councillors were told £600,000 would be put towards the Our Town fund to 'revitalise' town centres across the borough, with further funding possible.But opposition councillors called for more money to be spent on smaller towns complaining the bulk of the regeneration budget

North Ayrshire from April for the year ahead according to budget proposals.Councillors will vote on the £365 million budget on Thursday, which recommends £490,000 proposed new cuts to balance the books.A £500,000 new pot of money has been proposed to make the school day cheaper for families struggling financially.

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direct to your inboxStockport residents will face a 3.5pc hike in council tax but also enjoy free Saturday parking after the council passed its budget for the next 12 months.The town hall’s financial plan for the 2021/22 municipal year was approved by a majority vote at a remote meeting on Thursday night.The Labour administration put forward what it described as its ‘Covid recovery budget’, including £10m for affordable housing, £2m to help businesses get back on their feet and one-off monies