THE council has called on the government to ‘immediately’ invest in social care and not rely on year-on-year council tax increases to fund the sector.

Both Labour and Conservative councillors criticised the government for assuming a 3pc rise in council tax within its spending calculations.

It comes after Wigan council bosses said that they would ‘probably’ recommend a rise in council tax from April – the first in seven years.

Labour Tyldesley councillor Nazia Rehman who is responsible for finance, resources and transformation at the town hall, put forward the motion saying the council ‘regrets’ the ‘damaging effects’ on local authorities required to raise the rate.

She said: “It is not a secret anymore that this government is not a friend of local government and especially local authorities in the North of England.

“After a decade of slashing public funding, once again, a council’s ability to care for its most vulnerable residents will depend on its local house values.

“Once again, a council’s tax base will determine the quality and extent of care it provides. And once again, the poorest will face the heaviest burden.”

Cllr Rehman told councillors that areas with lowest ‘tax base’ tend to have a relatively greater need for council services, meaning that where you live has a ‘big impact’ on the quality of social care your council can afford to provide.

This is because the council tax collection is based on past property values.

She added: “This government is using councils and council tax as the vehicle to take more money from the poorest families in Britain.

“An extra meal from someone in Tyldesley, a week’s rent from someone in West Leigh and an extra heating bill from someone in Atherton, in the middle of this pandemic.

“I hope this is not what the government means by levelling up.”

Conservative group leader Michael Winstanley supported the Labour motion despite disagreeing with much of the ‘rhetoric’ he expected during the debate.

He said: “This government has committed to looking at social care funding.

“I believe that that is something we should do. I think we should have a royal commission on that.

“We need to get that sorted out. It needs to be fair, it needs to be sustainable going forward. This isn’t an easy situation.

“If it was easy, then surely that wonderful Labour government we had from 1997 that bankrupt the country would have sorted it out. Surely the Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham would have sorted it out.

“We know it’s difficult. We know it’s a thorny issue. But this government is committed to sorting it out.”

However, three independent councillors voted against the motion last night.

Atherton councillor Stuart Gerrard called on Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to cut his part of the council tax bill to the fund social care sector.

He said: “In the midst of this pandemic, when people don’t know where the next dollar’s coming from, this is totally wrong.

“We should call on mayor Burnham to reduce his precept by 3pc that we pay to him every year and should do for the next two years until we’re out of this.

“Because these pie in the sky plans what he’s got for Greater Manchester does not affect towns such as Atherton.

“If we keep paying that and keep adding all these expenses onto people, people are going to suffer.

“We need to look at where we can cut this, not just in Wigan as a borough, but in Greater Manchester as a whole.”