Saturday, July 26, 2008

A cut in your council tax bill - but at a cost...

Council taxpayer across Lincolnshire are to get their council tax bills cut by an average £70 - thanks to the Government stopping the county's Police Authority from imposing an eye-watering increase of almost 80 per cent.

I've always believed that the Authority took a wrong decision to demand that Lincolnshire council tax payers fork out an extra 78.9%. In my view, it made 'capping' by Government almost inevitable.

Yesterday, the Authority voted for new reduced bills to be sent out, but to continue to lobby for more Government cash for policing in Lincolnshire.

As previously posted, I was one of six members of the Police Authority who voted against such an excessive increase in February and was disappointed that it was forced through by the six Conservative members.

Without the six Conservatives, there was always majority against 78.9 per cent among the 11 independents, magistrates, Labour and LibDem members of the Authority.

In my view such a massive increase - the highest in the country - made Government intervention a racing certainty.

While the good news is that the bills will be cut, the bad news is that we are stuck with rebilling costs of at least half-a-million pounds.


(more later...)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

No declaration of loyalty for Chairman Brown? No mention of the Scots verdict on el Gordo?

Some waffle about rates? The big issues on here(!). If Labour councils are going to run on delivering cheap public services, I doubt there'll be any left. Most people know the truth in these stories. From Henley to Glasgow they have delivered their verdict.

The only word we are interested in from Brown is the word "election".

fairdealphil said...

A 78.9% hike in council tax for policing stopped by Government may be waffle to you, but I believe it's a big issue to council tax payers here in Lincolnshire.

From Henley to Glasgow, you say...

Yes, bad results in by elections for Labour, but can't honestly say I was surprised that the Tories won Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.

Glasgow East was different, and clearly Labour should have held it, specially with an excellent candidate in Margaret Curran.

Don't know about you, but I don't believe that a majority of Glaswegians are for independence.

Bad mid term results, but fortunately not as bad as the by election defeats suffered by the Tories during the Thatcher/Major years, when they went on to win subsequent General Elections.

As for Gordon Brown, he'll get on with running our country, despite getting blamed for almost everything including the UK weather, which by the way, you may be interested to know, is bright and sunny today.

Anonymous said...

It is hard to say what Glaswegians want. But they clearly didn't want a Labour MP. Is there anywhere in the country that does? These aren't bad mid-terms. Brown does not have the confidence of the country. Never elected, never wanted.

Brown took the credit for the worldwide economic boom after the late 90's. It is entirely just that he takes the blame for this global economic slump. Poetic justice.

2 years, then you are done. 649 days until the next Tory Government.

fairdealphil said...

No, they didn't want a Labour MP.

But they wanted a Tory one even less...

Anonymous said...

In Glasgow East? No kidding(!). I don't think Dave's election strategy relies on the good people of Glasgow East. Gordy's on the other hand...

With the best will in the world Phil, if you think Brown will win in 2 years then you are even more stupid than I ever thought.

fairdealphil said...

i may or may not be even more stupid that you ever thought, but i'm not about to predict the mood of the electorate in two years time, particularly when less than one year ago, things were very different.

in two years time, they may also be very different.

People know that Gordon Brown has delivered economic stability for a decade, low unemployment, low interest rates and low inflation for a decade but now they are worried about rising oil and food prices which is hitting their pockets.

Oil was just 11 dollars a barrel when Gordon became Chancellor - today it is more than ten times that figure, ($130-plus...??)

Personally, i'd much rather Gordon Brown at the helm to deal with the sub-prime lending problems which started in the US, and the world oil and food crisis, than a shallow salesman like David Cameron who would axe investment in public services including for instance, cutting Labour's programme to rebuild every secondary school...

you may or may not be right, but i don't really think the British people would risk wee Georgie Osborne with the nation's wallet.

By-elections have always produced spectacular results against government parties, but whether the voters will risk going back to Tory times by putting the Bullingdon Club in charge remains to be seen.

Anonymous said...

As this discussion started with POLICEING,can someone tell me why in the 1970s (con)we had 2 Sergents, 6PCs 1 CID officer.6 Specials,1 Police Station open 18hours a day in the DEEPINGS,
We now appear in2008 (Lab)to have 1PC,and 2 PCSOs,1Police office always closed (with lights on)and a police authority telling us we have more officers,WERE ARE THEY
IAN

Anonymous said...

Short memories. Gordon Brown inherited a stable economy and full coffers. Remember "I will continue with the ideas and economic policies put in place by the last Government" plus, of course his own little spending spree. For the last few years they have circulated the same money. Made promises to fund everything, but never, never any new money.
Their education plans have been a absolute shambles.
Within a year of election this Government announced their policy on school buildings. Just great, schools in this area had new classrooms they didn't need. Statement to the local press. "We now have a lovely new classroom, we will have to decide what we will use it for". The school numbers were in decline and still are.
The council tax has risen well over 100% since 1997 in some areas as much as 150%. All three parties insist that a tax on property remains (yes even the Liberal Democrats). If that has to happen, then let it be fair. There are rich people living in the North and poor people living in the South. Let the Government grants to councils reflect that.
I know that my standard of living has steadily decreased since 1997, and there are millions more like me.

fairdealphil said...

Christine,

3 million on the dole and double-digit interest rates left by the Tories may be your idea of a 'stable economy and full coffers', but it was certainly not mine...

and apparently not the idea of success of the great british public...

why do you think the tories were ejected from office...?

Labour inherited a desperate situation in which the country was spending more on national debt than on the health service and education combined.

You say there's been no new money, yet accuse the Government of building new classrooms that were not needed.

i don't know where you live, but i remember the buckets in classrooms when it rained and outside Victorian toilets in schools - now all in the past.

the nhs has seen massive new money investment which has cut waiting lists - remember the two year waits under the Tories, now gone.

crime has been cut too...

all this and the first ever floor under wages, lower interest rates, lower inflation and more people in work than ever before...

short memories indeed.