MERSEY councils will be given help to freeze council tax bills for another year, the government will confirm today.
Chancellor George Osborne will set aside £805m from "Whitehall underspends" to prevent bills rising in 2012-13 - a policy first announced in 2008.
Town halls will be able to apply for grants equivalent to a 2.5% increase in council tax – and 3% for police and fire authorities – to allow them to freeze bills, without being out of pocket.
Meanwhile around 35,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Manchester yesterday as the Conservative Party conference began. The huge protest swamped the city centre, marching past the heavily guarded venue where the Tory party is gathered.
Blowing whistles and horns and waving flags and banners claiming Cameron’s “Tory Fat Cats” were to blame for coalition public sector cuts the noisy demo chanted “Tories out!” as they began the march.
Organised by the Trades Union Congress, it was billed as a march and rally for “The Alternative - jobs, growth, justice”. No arrests were made.
