Comments on: “The lowest Council Tax increases for years”?

By: Loki

Loki — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:11:05 +0000

Mine will rise 8.6%. But then I live in Northern Ireland – so no-one will care!

By: Bazman

Bazman — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:12:14 +0000

Government leftyism and banking? Is that what went wrong with the banking system. Communism for the rich at its finest. A ruined and bankrupt system and ideology with the leaders walking away rich and becoming the new power.
Both sides of the same coin.

By: Bazman

Bazman — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:03:09 +0000

Merge ITV 1 with channel 4 and 5? Or turn the BBC into Sky with the same quality of programming?

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:16:44 +0000

This isn’t a party poliitical issue – Conservative and Labour Councils are equally bad at controlling costs (see even your local Council John). The issue is whether services demanded of local government can actually be delivered more efficiently OR if local Councillors have the wherewithall to cut services. If local Councillors (the majority of whom are Conservative) cannot do that what will the next government do to address it?

By: Quentin

Quentin — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:34:46 +0000

On top of Council Tax rises we have increases in water charges.
Last year South West Water blamed the increase on the fact that as we are the only county to be completely surrounded by sea we have to pay more.
This year South West Water blamed the increase on us being the least populated county.
All I know for sure is that Cornwall has the highest water charges in the country and yet we are the poorest.

By: backofanenvelope

backofanenvelope — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 09:39:14 +0000

“They could start by stopping their self congratulating magazines? 350,000 delivered by the Royal Mail in Staffordshire!”

The same thing has just happened in Cornwall. They just do not take any notice of what anyone says about it.

I return to my basic suggestion. Make 25% of the councillors stand for re-election each year. In May, just after the increased council tax bill hits the electorate.

By: Graham Hamblin

Graham Hamblin — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 06:45:42 +0000

They could start by stopping their self congratulating magazines? 350,000 delivered by the Royal Mail in Staffordshire!

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:28:20 +0000

Surely, in the shadow of a forecast of deflation, ANY increase of Council Tax is unacceptable. Even a standstill position is a real terms increase?

By: Stewart Knight

Stewart Knight — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:37:45 +0000

3% on a compound 100% increase in real terms. The percentage figure is irrelevant until you factor in what the actual increase is in monetary terms. Great if you are paying £500 a year, but we aren’t paying that figure. Then of course there is the real cuts in services we have been seeing for years.

Instead of moaning about the BBC John, do something about them, as we would like you to do. Campaign for it to be scrapped or made subscription.

By: mike stallard

mike stallard — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:02:23 +0000

Thank you for detailing the BBC bias – again!
On Conservative Home, there is an interesting piece about the sheer unfairness of the government allocation to Local Government. It transpires that Labour areas (or prospective Labour areas) get a great deal more money than Conservative ones.
Yvette Cooper in an interview yesterday trumpeted the success of the 2% VAT reduction. Now we learn that we are lucky to lose 3%!