More than 670,000 of the poorest households in England will face an increase in council tax of £120 a year on average from Tuesday as the government withdraws a benefits safety net, a survey of local authorities has revealed.

Using freedom of information requests, a joint investigation by the Guardian and the campaigning organisation False Economy found that from April, 83 local authorities are reducing protection for vulnerable residents.

All councils in the country replied, giving the first complete picture of how this measure, which critics have called another poll tax, is affecting the poor.

Reported by the Guardian. You can read the full story here. 

Matthew Burgess
http://www.mattburgess.co
I am a journalist and author. I am a journalist at the UK edition of WIRED magazine. In 2015, my first book Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for UK Journalists, was published. My second book Reed Hastings: Building Netflix, was published in March 2020. I created FOI Directory in 2012 and have maintained it in my spare time ever since.