The Conservative opposition on Richmondshire Council has condemned the decision of the Independent/Lib Dem administration to increase Council Tax in defiance of a petition from local residents organised by the Taxpayers Alliance opposing the rise. They are also pressing ahead despite a new savings of £70,000 emerging with the departure of the council's shared chief […]
Cllr. Geoffrey Theobald OBE, Leader of the Conservative opposition on Brighton & Hove City Council, on defeating the proposed Council Tax rise – but not Council funding for the unions When the local daily paper runs a referendum in which over two thirds of the 7,000 respondents say they don’t agree with one of your […]
Labour-run Hastings Council approved a freeze in the Council Tax on Wednesday evening – rejecting proposals from the Conservative opposition for a 1% cut without any reduction in front line services. Cllr Matthew Beaver, on behalf of the Conservative Group proposing the 1% cut said “this will make a modest difference to fixed income earners, […]
Simon Harris report on a revolution taking place in Wirral Imagine any council led by any party for less than a month and you would not expect much. After all, people need to find their feet and get to grip with the problems. And, boy does Wirral have problems. In mid-February the Labour Leader and […]
Last night Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh presented his final budget as leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
A warning from Housing Minister Grant Shapps on the Radio 4 Today programme to councils turning down the offer of funding for a Council Tax freeze this year because they thought it would make it easier for them to dodge a referendum next year. Of future grant levels he said: When we transient to the […]
I am delighted to see that reason has prevailed in North Dorset and that the Conservative-run district council has abandoned plans for a 3.49% Council Tax increase. The was among the highest increases planned by a Conservative council. Instead they will now be signing up for the £71,000 to fund a freeze. The Lib Dem […]
Last night Hammersmith and Fulham Council voted to cut the Council Tax this year by 3.75%. The Labour councillors denounced the budget with their usual mix of dishonest allegations followed by a frothy, synthetic moral indignation. There was rousing rhetoric about how they would fight the evil Tories and the viscous cuts with […]
Labour-run Camden council is freezing the Council Tax for the coming year rejecting a proposal from the Conservatives for a 3% cut. But the alternative budget proposed by the Conservatives would also have protected services. Camden Council has closed nurseries, play centres, luncheon clubs and youth services have been closed down. Libraries have been set […]
Labour-run Chesterfield Borough Council has abandoned plans for a 3.5% Council Tax rise after opposition from residents. As I reported earlier the council said their proposals were subject to a consultation. Despite the council dishonestly claiming that a freeze would mean "having to make cuts to front line services" they did not get support for […]
What is about the Conservative Associations in Surrey that they produce such financially incontinent councillors? At least that is the behaviour of the councillors when it comes to spending other peoples money. The latest bad news is that Conservative-run Spelthorne Borough Council is planning to increase the Council Tax by 2.9%. That means they will […]
I have paid a lot of attention to the cynical decision of some councils (including a few rogue Conservative local authorities) to take the cynical decision to put the Council Tax up this but dodge a referendum. There is nothing localist about denying local residents the chance to decide. On the bright side the Department […]
As has been stated many times the responsibility for setting the level of Council Tax is with the elected councillors. Only a full council meeting can approve a Council budget and decide on whether to cut, freeze or increase the Council Tax. But at present the following list of a dozen Conservative councils are due […]
An interesting survey by the Municipal Journal and the Local Government Information Unit on the attitudes of Council Finance officers to the Council Tax freeze. It suggests as many as 95% of councils will end up accepting the funding to freeze (or cut) Council Tax. That would mean only a couple of dozen going ahead […]
John Moss, Conservative candidate for the City & East London Assembly seat, says that introducing higher Council Tax bands would be a mistake. There have been calls, not least from Tim, to implement wealth taxes in the form of higher Council Tax bands as a way of generating revenue to fund cuts in income and […]