Sep 2010 17

There is no excuse for council tax rises12

Eric Pickles has announced that his Communities and Local Government Department will make up to 30 % in cuts as part of the government’s drive to alleviate Labour’s spending crisis.  I recently attended a meeting of Conservative councillors discussing the measures they would have to take to accommodate these cuts.

One Conservative councillor after the other pleaded to preserve all possible council services without which the residents would suffer unbearable hardship. It was as if we were about to take away the last slice of bread from the deprived multitudes. Several councillors mused over all the missed past opportunities of having the council tax increased.  The gist seemed to be that the council should stay exactly the size it is today, and that council tax rises should pay for it.  It was hoped that the government would scrap caps on council tax increases.

A few of us rolled our eyes.  Is the Conservative Party not supposed to be the party of small government?  Were we witnessing a manifestation of CINOs, Conservatives In Name Only?

I am a councillor in Westminster Council.  It has the second lowest council tax in the land.  Most services run more or less efficiently, with a focus on clean and safe streets.  Westminster is often put forward as a model for others to follow.  Yet recently I walked into City Hall and found two council officers reading their newspapers behind their desks, with nobody lifting an eyebrow.  I routinely come across council waste. I see taxpayers money being distributed to unworthy causes.  And this is a Star Council!  Imagine what it must be like elsewhere?

In the last eight years I occupied weekend places in Kent: first near Dover, then near Maidstone.  The council tax bills I receive are eye watering, a multiple of what I pay in Westminster, where the house is four times as valuable as in Kent.  Both these Kent councils are Conservative held.  What on earth are they doing?  Do they have any clue at all the Conservative means small government, frugality, allowing people to keep their hard-earned money to spend and invest it as they see fit?  With regards to state spending in Kent it seems as if we are still in the seventies, as if the Thatcher revolution never happened.  Perhaps Conservative Central Office should organise a course “Conservatism for Beginners” aimed at Conservative councillors.

Before councils in England even start to think about increasing their council tax, they may want to consider outsourcing, focusing on the essentials, and cutting waste, as we have done for year in Westminster.  When there is even in Westminster still a lot of waste to cut the other less sound Councils have really no excuse whatsoever.

Cllr JP Floru
Fellow of the Adam Smith Institute

Related Posts

  • Nick

    The presentation about cuts is all wrong. It’s not a choice of cuts in spending versus no cuts.
    It’s a choice of will the state cut it’s spending, or the public being forced to cut their spending on their family because the state won’t.

  • Hardeep Singh

    WELL DONE JP FLORU! It’s heart warming to see there are those that still aspire to a responsible manner of spending.
    Bravo Sir, we need more of you that’s for sure.

  • Jack

    We need smarter spending, but smarter spending does not mean councils, NHS or government employing communication people to use social marketing or TV channels to get their messsage out. Sadly it seems the “in thing” to do and alot of money is wasted.

  • http://profile.typepad.com/donaldg Don G

    Well said Cllr Floru. You get my vote for leader.

  • http://thelocalgovernmentofficer.wordpress.com/ properofficer

    Ooh, hang on, I know this one. Is it to do with Westminster getting just over £600 per resident from business rate grant and Kent getting just over £200? It is, right?
    Ah, so it is. http://bit.ly/aveH26

  • BilliBloggs

    Not forgetting that they are getting money by the back door in Westminster, by imposing parking charges on motorcycles as a revenue stream,they are breaking the law

  • Stuart M.

    Agree – too many councillors simply don’t just get it – unfortunately the government racking up VAT is hardly giving a lead in what should be happening.
    I’ve spoken to too many councillors who are thinking of “what new revenue streams can we use” instead of – “how can we do this cheaper”, or “do we need to do it at all”.
    The government really needs to get a grip on these rogue councils – stopping these inventive ways of raising money and tightly capping council tax rises – not just suggesting afreeze for one year.

  • CJD

    And of course the usual stunts will be pulled as an excuse to put up council tax such as cutting ‘meals on wheels’, facilities at pensioner homes in fact all those services that are frontline and excite sympathy. Lets start with CE salaries, management perks, Ipad touche’s for council members & the like. How can these wretched useless individuals still claim all this stuff and see the ‘coal face’ important stuff deteriorate? Its a scandal!!!

  • Hardeep Singh

    … And today the monthly deficit rose from 12.5 billion to just over 15.3 billion, what on earth is going on? Perhaps the reason no one can find Gordon is because he’s still behind the curtains at No. 10 Downing Street.
    At least Moodys say we can keep our AAA for now. We are in such a desperare state that even that’s an accomplishment.

  • Fred

    Outsourcing

  • Fred123

    You imply that outsourcing is good for the public sector and the people. Outsourcing delivers what you contracted for; anything else costs. You don’t get flexibility unless you pay, you don’t get flexibility in your budget, you don’t get loyalty of staff, and you don’t get VFM in the longer term. You don’t even get full control of council services or the flexibility to react to circumstance quickly – unless you pay. And pay means cost to us through higher council taxes. Outsourcing means passing profit to the private sector and shareholders – perhaps you are a politician! and perhaps quick fix, knee jerk reactions to a set of accounts is not the best way forward for people that will live in your council area for more that just the next financial planning term.

  • Dave

    “Yet recently I walked into City Hall and found two council officers reading their newspapers behind their desks, with nobody lifting an eyebrow.”

    And what did you do? Just moan, or did you actually do something useful for your allowance?