Did you know that the average family in England spends £1190 each year on Town Hall services for which they are charged over and above their council tax?
I found that statistic – courtesy of the Audit Commission – rather surprising, but it is the latest mechanism Labour Ministers are deploying to rinse more cash from the pockets of hard-pressed taxpayers.
One of the first signs that Labour were fixed on the charging route came back in John Prescott’s day when he changed planning guidance so that councils were explicitly directed to increase parking charges as a means of deterring car-use.
From then on we have seen councils forced into charging and cutting services.
Only last year Local Government Minister John Healey was lambasting councils for not seeing the full potential in charging for services. What Labour Ministers don’t get is that most people think, quite reasonably, that their hefty council tax bills should cover the cost of services. That’s the reason councils are reluctant to press ahead with charging, and when they do it is because funding and direction from the centre leaves them with little option.
Next year the average council tax bill will be £120 each month. That is a large sum of money for people to find, particularly for those on fixed incomes. On top of that Labour is planning a revaluation which will drive bills up further and it is going to make councils charge for more and more services.
It’s clear people have simply had enough of paying more and getting less under Labour.
The priority for a Conservative government is to get Council Tax back down to a reasonable level and safeguard the services people rightly expect from the Town Halls – I believe that’s also the priority of communities up and down the country.
( 14 comments ) Tags: council tax, tax
Comment by Ray Turner on November 12, 2009 at 10:40 am
Absolutely right Caroline. What also winds me up about Council Tax, is that I’m on a very low income and don’t qualify for Tax credits or any other benefits (due to means testing) and still have to pay Council Tax every month. I have to raiding my comparatively modest savings to subside people in other parts of the country becasue of the formula that is used to calculate the Government contribution to local authorities. The system is completely wrong…
Comment by Diversity on November 12, 2009 at 11:35 am
This is pretty well exactly the sort of protest about Domestic Rates we used to see before Margaret Thatcher won in 1979
Comment by Lord Lindley on November 12, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I always agreed with poll-tax and never saw anything wrong with people using services paying for them. I never understood what all the fuss was about!
Comment by Timothy Masters on November 12, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Most people are quick to complain about the high level of council tax, but not nearly enough people take an active role in their community.
If the conservative party really wants to take a lead in this area, I believe it should develop policies which incentivise everyone to make a contribution to the community and by doing so reduce the cost of council services.
Examples of such things could range from taking part in litter patrols, lending your skills to community groups, visiting an elderly neighbour or helping in community projects for health or recreation. The opportunities are endless but despite their highly paid executives our local councils are often making little attempt to promote these type of schemes and achieve the benefits and cost savings that could be made.
My proposal is that anyone, who gets involved in their community, should be entitled to a reduction in their council tax. I think individual councils should be allowed to decide and promote this type of scheme. In my view it should as wide ranging and simple as possible. For example a commitment of 50 hours in a year, backed up by a signed statement of what was achieved, could give an entitlement to a 10% reduction in council tax. Of course for those cynics who doubt the integrity of participants there could be safeguards against false claims. I doubt that these would be necessary in practice.
Comment by Bob on November 12, 2009 at 3:59 pm
When I see people turning up on my doorstep to tell me where the nearest bus stop/ train station is, it is then you know that my council tax is being wasted. These are services I could do without thankyou. Keep up the good work Caroline
Comment by Dorothy Wilson on November 12, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Caroline
I do agree. However, if you want some idea of the kind of reaction you will get from Labour, the LibDems and unions I would suggest that you have a look at the coverage Kay Cutts and her team, who are trying to do just what you are proposing now they have taken power in Nottinghamshire, are getting in the Nottingham Evening Post.
The website is http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk. Once on the site put Ravi Subramanian into the Search box and that will take you into an article he wrote a few days ago. He is regional head of Unite. There has also been a concerted – and no doubt co-ordinated, campaign in the letters column.
Pingback by Bringing down Council Tax « David Burbage’s weblog on November 14, 2009 at 9:38 am
[...] by davidburbage on November 14, 2009 We must get Council Tax down to reasonable levels , says Caroline [...]
Comment by john fisher on November 15, 2009 at 6:21 pm
we should remove council tax completely. pay individually for what you use (like phone/electricity/gas) I bet if the councils were privatised they wouldn’t be filling the Guardian with non-jobs.
Comment by Chris D on November 16, 2009 at 6:33 pm
“…Next year the average council tax will be £120 per month….”
Crikey I’d love to return to the “average” bill! Ours is already over £160 a month, for an old two bedroomed house positioned on a noisy rural rat-run. And as for the re-evaluation….God help us if it’s done by Labour, because the south-west will be incinerated for it’s “pretty views” and “nice big gardens”… to which luxuries, of course, its residents have no rights in a socialist’s eye and therefore should be forced to pay for them.
Comment by N. Murphy on November 17, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I believe that Council Tax is patently an unfair Tax, when the Poll Tax was being considered I suggested that as an alternative we should (as is done in many other Countries) use a local VAT tax. This type of tax enables everyone to pay a fair share based upon their disposable income. This idea was thrown out by the Conservative think tank at the time. The Tax could be based on the same area that Council is at present, and if it was set too high by each council then most tax payers could do most of their purchasing in the next district. Let’s face we all travel to the bigger shopping centres to save a few pound?
Pingback by The Blue Blog » We Must Get Council Tax Back Down To Reasonable Levels « Celebrity Buzz on November 22, 2009 at 5:41 pm
[...] Absolutely right Caroline . What also winds me up about Council Tax, is that I’m on a very low income and don’t qualify for Tax credits or any other benefits (due to means testing) and still have to pay Council Tax every month. … Comment by N. Murphy on November 17, 2009 at 8:47 pm. I believe that Council Tax is patently an unfair Tax, when the Poll Tax was being considered I suggested that as an alternative we should (as is done in many other Countries) use a local VAT …Read More… [...]
Pingback by Where can I find good prices on a quality down comforter and featherbed? | Warmest Down Comforters on November 30, 2009 at 7:28 am
[...] The Blue Blog » We must get Council Tax back down to reasonable levels [...]
Pingback by how do you wash a hungarian goose down comforter? | Warmest Down Comforters on November 30, 2009 at 7:28 am
[...] The Blue Blog » We must get Council Tax back down to reasonable levels [...]
Comment by ian on December 12, 2009 at 5:06 pm
to bring council tax into line do you not think it fair that every one should pay ie police i live next door to a police officer who will earn in excess of twenty thousand and not have to pay ihow ever have two children morgage other bills who will not earn any where near the same amount will still have to pay in excess of 100 pounds a month is this system still fair given todays state of affairs