This report argues that leaving council tax unreformed is becoming ever more unsustainable. Local authorities across the country are increasingly cash strapped, as a consequence of government cuts to their core grant funding and limits on their ability to raise funds through council tax and other sources.

London’s distinct housing market has been exhibiting the strains of a crisis for some time. The scale of the demand for property, the tenure and household mix, the affordability gap for both renting and buying, and the scale of serious housing need all set London apart from the rest of England.