Council tax rises yet again .. 5% this year !!!

[Buce]

50 minutes ago, Webbo said:

What would you cut to pay for it? We're not at war atm.

 

Do you not read the news, Webbo?

 

Just because IS is not a recognised nation state, the bombs we drop on them cost just the same.

[Alf Bentley]

A good summary of local government funding here, for anyone interested: http://citizensassembly.co.uk/how-is-local-government-funded/

 

"Local councils have four main sources of funding:

• Central government grants
• Business rates
• Council tax
• Fees and charges

[...] For many decades, the bulk of councils’ income (on average) came from a combination of government grants and business rate income, the latter being redistributed by the government to take some account of need. Because of large reductions in government grants since 2010, this is no longer as true as it was. [...]  Central government grants for local councils are set each financial year in an annual funding round (the ‘Local Government Finance Settlement’). Since 2010, grants have been cut dramatically – by 37% across England between 2010 and 2015."

37% grant cuts since 2010?!?

Local Govt is an easy target for a Central Govt wanting to cut spending. Whether the local authorities respond by slashing services or by raising Council Tax, most of the public will blame the council, not central govt.

 

The electorate wants the impossible: it wants high-quality public services AND low tax. @Webbo is right to say that you have to choose. I'd choose better public services and moderate tax increases. It would be much better if tax avoiders and large corporations paid the extra, but if Joe Public has to stump up some of it, so be it. But a 5% Council Tax increase is better than more old people in misery, more bed-blocking, more vulnerable children or rubbish rotting in the street. 

[Buce]

2 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

A good summary of local government funding here, for anyone interested: http://citizensassembly.co.uk/how-is-local-government-funded/

 

"Local councils have four main sources of funding:

• Central government grants
• Business rates
• Council tax
• Fees and charges

[...] For many decades, the bulk of councils’ income (on average) came from a combination of government grants and business rate income, the latter being redistributed by the government to take some account of need. Because of large reductions in government grants since 2010, this is no longer as true as it was. [...]  Central government grants for local councils are set each financial year in an annual funding round (the ‘Local Government Finance Settlement’). Since 2010, grants have been cut dramatically – by 37% across England between 2010 and 2015."

37% grant cuts since 2010?!?

Local Govt is an easy target for a Central Govt wanting to cut spending. Whether the local authorities respond by slashing services or by raising Council Tax, most of the public will blame the council, not central govt.

 

The electorate wants the impossible: it wants high-quality public services AND low tax. @Webbo is right to say that you have to choose. I'd choose better public services and moderate tax increases. It would be much better if tax avoiders and large corporations paid the extra, but if Joe Public has to stump up some of it, so be it. But a 5% Council Tax increase is better than more old people in misery, more bed-blocking, more vulnerable children or rubbish rotting in the street. 

 

Welcome back, Alf.

[Alf Bentley]

1 minute ago, Buce said:

 

Welcome back. Alf.

 

Still won't be around much for a while.....I hope!

 

It's done my head good to avoid debates like this.....but couldn't resist this one.

 

It's like a vicious circle. The electorate will only vote for parties that offer the impossible dream of low tax and good public services....so the parties dishonestly offer that and then find devious ways of pretending they're keeping their word.

 

[RODNEY FERNIO]

All these cuts didn't stop Leicester City Council demolishing their New Walk offices costing millions of pounds and then moving to new premises at a cost of tens of millions of pounds ( as quoted by Soulsby ) 

[Webbo]

10 minutes ago, RODNEY FERNIO said:

All these cuts didn't stop Leicester City Council demolishing their New Walk offices costing millions of pounds and then moving to new premises at a cost of tens of millions of pounds ( as quoted by Soulsby ) 

I think those towers had to come down because there was something up with them.

[Buce]

22 minutes ago, RODNEY FERNIO said:

All these cuts didn't stop Leicester City Council demolishing their New Walk offices costing millions of pounds and then moving to new premises at a cost of tens of millions of pounds ( as quoted by Soulsby ) 

 

11 minutes ago, Webbo said:

I think those towers had to come down because there was something up with them.

 

The towers were demolished because they were structurally unsound.

 

The Council only paid the costs of the demolition and clear up (circa £4 million). The new buildings were entirely funded by private investment.

 

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/unveiled-plans-multi-million-pound-office-scheme/story-26493811-detail/story.html

 

Sir Peter said the authority would be providing the land for the redevelopment but not putting any more money into it.

He said: "We are not bankrolling this.

"It is a private development.

"We had to leave those buildings because they were structurally unsound.

"The cost to the council has been £4 million to get it ready and it will result in tremendous private sector investment."

 

[Facecloth]

10 minutes ago, Webbo said:

I think those towers had to come down because there was something up with them.

Yeah they were knackered. It was either take them down safely or they'd have fell down.

[SMX11]

12 hours ago, Webbo said:

I'm not in favour of tax rises, far from it, but people can't complain about austerity one minute and  tax rises the next.

We and the politicians need to understand that the government can only do so much from the tax base. An honest assessment needs to be done on what we want the government to do and what it can actually adequately fund through taxation.

 

It needs to stop expanding its scope and stop looking  to raise any more revenue as I think we have reached peak tax and any more will crush an already weak economy. Our tax system needs a complete rethink as it has become such a complicated mess. I think I heave read somewhere that it has over 10 millions words compared to the 100k or so of Hong Kong's. Then people wonder why loopholes are found.

 

[SMX11]

Also we need a Sir John Cowperthwaite to be chancellor.

[Vacamion]

 

 

A lot of money is wasted in Public Sector pay, lavish pensions and inefficient working practices.

 

My missus is in the Public Sector and gets miles better holiday, pension and pay than she ever did in the private sector.  I hear of excruciatingly poor management practice and inefficiency and waste. If people are bad at their job or slack off, they are allowed to stay in post.

 

You pretty much have to commit murder to get sacked from my wife's workplace. When you look at absenteeism and productivity levels in the Public Sector, you have to think that there would be easy savings to be made if you really wanted to.

 

Instead, they close libraries and swimming pools and collect your bins less frequently.  The person making that decision probably gets paid more than the Prime Minister and will retire in their late 50s.

 

That said, if we want proper social care, we should pay for it.  They'll never put it on a manifesto, but I'd be willing to pay a penny or two more on my income tax to fund it.

[Charl91]

Good job that people voted for Brexit, to make things better for us by making our currency worth less 

[Bellend Sebastian]

4 minutes ago, Charl91 said:

Good job that people voted for Brexit, to make things better for us by making our currency worth less 

I've been able to sell my body to foreigners like never before!

[TiffToff88]

Apologies for starting the new topic on this. didnt see this thread.

 

Got my letter this morning and i'll have to fork out an extra £300 a year. As most others have said, i wont get a big enough pay rise this year to cover it!

[Footballwipe]

On 3/12/2017 at 09:04, Vacamion said:

 

 

A lot of money is wasted in Public Sector pay, lavish pensions and inefficient working practices.

 

My missus is in the Public Sector and gets miles better holiday, pension and pay than she ever did in the private sector.  I hear of excruciatingly poor management practice and inefficiency and waste. If people are bad at their job or slack off, they are allowed to stay in post.

 

You pretty much have to commit murder to get sacked from my wife's workplace. When you look at absenteeism and productivity levels in the Public Sector, you have to think that there would be easy savings to be made if you really wanted to.

 

Instead, they close libraries and swimming pools and collect your bins less frequently.  The person making that decision probably gets paid more than the Prime Minister and will retire in their late 50s.

 

That said, if we want proper social care, we should pay for it.  They'll never put it on a manifesto, but I'd be willing to pay a penny or two more on my income tax to fund it.

Amazing sweeping statements right there.

 

I work at a local authority and while I agree with some sentiments in this, some of the assertions are outrageous and simply garble (so it's unsurprising there are four thumbs up.)

 

People's experiences in the public sector depend on not just the place they work at, but the service area they work in. I get to see pretty much every service in the place I work. There is some "excruciatingly poor management practice" and then you go and ruin it with "The person making that decision probably gets paid more than the Prime Minister and will retire in their late 50s." Shame.

[steveherbe]

On 11/03/2017 at 20:18, Webbo said:

What would you cut to pay for it? We're not at war atm.

Overseas aid, budgeted as 12.2 BILLION pounds this year! That is scanalous, funding 'essential' projects like the Indian space programme. Britain, the mugs of the world.

[Vacamion]

54 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

Amazing sweeping statements right there.

 

I work at a local authority and while I agree with some sentiments in this, some of the assertions are outrageous and simply garble (so it's unsurprising there are four thumbs up.)

 

People's experiences in the public sector depend on not just the place they work at, but the service area they work in. I get to see pretty much every service in the place I work. There is some "excruciatingly poor management practice" and then you go and ruin it with "The person making that decision probably gets paid more than the Prime Minister and will retire in their late 50s." Shame.

 

I meant the person deciding to close down services, i.e. near the top of the hierarchy.  If you think their pay and conditions are the same as in the private sector, you are in dreamland.

 

I know a guy (I play guitar with him) who was a economic development manager for a local authority.  He retired in his late 50s, he lives in a massive house in the country and he was earning well above the PMs £140k a year when he finished.

 

By all means, provide me with some evidence that retirement ages, holidays and pensions are comparable in the Public and Private sectors.

 

I doubt you'll find any though.

 

 

 

[foxy boxing]

They always go up, they never come down and the standard of service gets worse!

[Parafox]

1 hour ago, TiffToff88 said:

Apologies for starting the new topic on this. didnt see this thread.

 

Got my letter this morning and i'll have to fork out an extra £300 a year. As most others have said, i wont get a big enough pay rise this year to cover it!

Start taking in old people for money

[norwichfox]

We don't seem to have been hit quite so hard in Norwich, 4% increase, which wipes out 1/3 of our pension increase.

[stix]

Mines gone up £3 a month.

[Jon the Hat]

About £300 increase on mine down in West Sussex, up to £2650 or so.

[Babylon]

17 minutes ago, stix said:

Mines gone up £3 a month.

Mines about a fiver... I don't have much knowledge of what houses cost what council tax wise, but some people paying close to £3k a year I'd expect to be in a mansion.

[Izzy]

6 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

About £300 increase on mine down in West Sussex, up to £2650 or so.

Yeah, mine is a similar amount in South Bucks. Can't complain about my local council or services though - they're pretty good to be fair...

[Trav Le Bleu]

On 12/03/2017 at 09:04, Vacamion said:

 

 

A lot of money is wasted in Public Sector pay, lavish pensions and inefficient working practices.

 

My missus is in the Public Sector and gets miles better holiday, pension and pay than she ever did in the private sector.  I hear of excruciatingly poor management practice and inefficiency and waste. If people are bad at their job or slack off, they are allowed to stay in post.

 

You pretty much have to commit murder to get sacked from my wife's workplace. When you look at absenteeism and productivity levels in the Public Sector, you have to think that there would be easy savings to be made if you really wanted to.

 

Instead, they close libraries and swimming pools and collect your bins less frequently.  The person making that decision probably gets paid more than the Prime Minister and will retire in their late 50s.

 

That said, if we want proper social care, we should pay for it.  They'll never put it on a manifesto, but I'd be willing to pay a penny or two more on my income tax to fund it.

You are wrong.

 

They'll retire in their early 50s.