Council Taxes and Party Claims

In a recent press release, the Labour party claimed that:

Where Labour controls the local council, households will pay on average £351 less next year than those living in Tory areas.

In contrast, the Conservatives suggested that:

The difference is actually pretty clear: on average, it’s almost £100 less for a Band D home in Conservative-run areas.

I will attempt to replicate these claims, examining difficulties with my approach.

In short

Average tax per dwelling: I can nearly replicate the Labour claim that average tax paid per dwelling is £351 lower.

Band D home: There appears to be no large, systematic difference in council tax paid by Band D properties, contrary to the Conservative claim.

Open up: the two parties should share the methods behind their analyses of council tax, for the public to examine.

Who costs more?

The two main parties appear to be making similar claims: when their party is in control of a local council, the council tax levied is (on average) lower.