The government has ruled out revaluing English council tax bands before the next general election.

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles, said the decision was "essentially about fairness".

"Why should we penalize people with a tax increase, when the relationship between the top band and the bottom band are roughly the position it was when council tax was first introduced?" he told John Humphrys.

"Council tax was never intended as a tax on home improvement."

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