Sir Ed Davey defends Lib Dem councils raising charges and taxes

The Liberal Democrat leader has defended councils controlled by his party putting up charges and council tax. Speaking on a visit to Eastbourne, Sir Ed Davey told BBC South East the cost of living had to be tackled "as a country, not just one little bit". He said the biggest problem he was hearing from people was that petrol and diesel prices, energy bills and mortgage costs were going up even more. One of the biggest drivers was the war between US-Israel and Iran, he added. Councils across the South East run by various political parties have increased charges and council tax. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, said on Wednesday that "council tax has to rise" as local authorities were "in massive debt". The cost of living is a key campaign issue for the Liberal Democrats at the local elections in May. Sir Ed said many Liberal Democrat councils were taking steps to avoid increasing financial pressure on households. Some local authorities were facing challenges from the costs of adult social care and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision and needed to meet those obligations, he said. "We do want to look after elderly people. We do want to look after disabled