Give volunteers a council tax discount, says Councillor Farnell

Councillor Richard Farnell

Community volunteers who help out in their local library or do charitable work should get discounts on their council tax bills, says Rochdale Council Leader Richard Farnell. 

He is urging Ed Miiband to give around 10,000 people in Rochdale a ten per cent annual rebate if Labour wins the next general election.

Community groups would help councils to identify who should qualify.

Councillor Farnell said: “Thousands of people in Rochdale give up their spare time to help a local charity, support their local library or provide a meal and a friendly face to an elderly neighbour. They do a fantastic job and save the taxpayer a fortune. Councils could not cope were it not for the amazing work put in by volunteers and charity workers.

"They really are community heroes and their efforts should be recognised in some small way.

“Volunteers give up hundreds of hours of their time helping others – and a discount on their council tax bill would be an ideal way of saying thank you.

Councillor Farnell is backing a national campaign launched by the Local Government Association to introduce a new scheme that would give councils a grant to fund a 'community cohesion discount'. 

He believes the scheme will ultimately pay for itself and save money in the long-run by recognising the contribution of existing volunteers and encouraging others to get involved.

Councillor Farnell added: “A council tax discount would not only recognise the fantastic work volunteers do but could help save the public purse many millions more than it costs.

"So many of the things we value most in our community are made possible by volunteers, whether it is running sports clubs, local parks groups or luncheon clubs.

"It would be great to see the value of all the great work that volunteers do being recognised in some small way."