THE council leader has rejected government plans to "shift the burden" onto local taxpayers.

She criticised the Conservatives for telling voters they will keep taxes low while encouraging a rise in council tax.

This follows the proposals regarding funding for local authorities announced earlier this month.

Cllr Linda Thomas said: “'Thank you, but no thank you, Prime Minister', that’s our message. Labour rules out raising council tax by three per cent as Theresa May has suggested.

“Isn’t it interesting? The Tories say: ‘We will keep your taxes low,' but in the same breath they’ve lifted the bar that protected people raising bills with the three per cent local referendum scrapped in the latest financial settlement. They are urging councils to raise bills without even flinching."

Under the proposals, local authorities can raise council tax by up to three per cent next year.

Tax payers will be able to veto excessive increases through a local referendum if the authority proposes to raise it by more than three per cent.

However, no referendum thresholds will be applied to the council tax precepts set by the Mayor of Greater Manchester to support transport, police and fire services.

On top of this, councils are allowed to add an additional two per cent as part of an adult social care precept to deal with additional pressures on services

Bolton Council has proposed a 2.5 per cent increase in council tax for its 2019-21, made up of a one per cent adult social care levy and a 1.5 per cent general levy.

The council's budget proposals are currently undergoing a six-week consultation period which runs until January 14.

The provisional local government financial settlement for 2019-20 was delayed by a week because of Brexit debates in Parliament.

It will now go through its own consultation period which is open until January 10.

Cllr Thomas added: "Despite the colossal £155 million cut to the council’s budget which we estimate is 60p in every £1 of local money taken away by the Tories, local Labour remains committed to lobbying the government with for more money direct from central coffers.

"This would mean people in our towns across Bolton can keep more of their money and don’t pay twice in their taxes. The burden must stop being shifted onto local taxpayers.”

You can submit a response to the government's consultation by completing an online survey, emailing lgfsettlement@communities.gov.uk or writing in to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.