Council Tax 2008/2009

[garinda]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

I wonder if the council wasted more money than the government on celebrating our national day. I hope not, anymore rises in CT to pay for being English would be unthinkable


Culture Minister Margaret Hodge confessed that her department spent 116 pounds on promoting England's national day this year, two pounds more than in 2007 -- and absolutely nothing in the previous three years.

£116?

Perhaps she was the only one who'd fit in the Dragon costume, and she didn't know anyone else who could carry off the St. George one.

[polly]

Originally Posted by garinda

Just be grateful you don't live in Hyndburn.

Did you know that according to the Daily Telegraph that we live in one of the most expensive boroughs in the country, on figures worked out using band D property?

By the way, it's properties that are banded together, not areas. You might for instance have a one bedroomed cottage next door to a large Vicarage, which would of course be in totally different bands.

Our area, like many, is full of similar type properties the only question is, are you band D or band E. Whichever you are you get nothing more for your money

[andrewb]

Originally Posted by garinda

Did you know that according to the Daily Telegraph that we live in one of the most expensive boroughs in the country, on figures worked out using band D property and band A wages?

Corrected it for you Rindi dear.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by andrewb

Corrected it for you Rindi dear.

Thank you.

Like I said earlier, why keep a dog and bark yourself, or in this case a Beaver?

The framed copy of the infamous Daily Telegraph needs dusting, and it's hard to read the small print, and Blazey isn't free to dust it until later in the summer.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by garinda

By the way, it's properties that are banded together, not areas.

That is true but they do tend to follow a trend within an area or street. Most around me are B and C. The 4 on the cross roads are C because they are bigger and supposedly worth more than the others. I get nothing more than my neighbour who is a band lower.

Except this last couple or three weeks. In the park we are finally getting something back for our money. It looks like someone opened a box of dehydrated park keepers and gave them a good watering, they are everywhere

[Gayle]

If you don't use the value of the house for council tax i.e. on the assumption that you live in an expensive area therefore earn a good wage and can afford to pay more (which in a nutshell is the principle of the banding) - then you have to discuss other ways for councils to get their funding and the other way is per person! Which, if you recall was the principle of Poll Tax and think of the disruption and outrage that that caused. There are probably people still languishing in our overcrowded jails because they refused to pay Poll Tax.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Gayle

If you don't use the value of the house for council tax i.e. on the assumption that you live in an expensive area therefore earn a good wage and can afford to pay more (which in a nutshell is the principle of the banding) - then you have to discuss other ways for councils to get their funding and the other way is per person! Which, if you recall was the principle of Poll Tax and think of the disruption and outrage that that caused. There are probably people still languishing in our overcrowded jails because they refused to pay Poll Tax.

The concept of te Community Charge (to give it its Sunday name) was good, it was the implimentation that was crap, there is nothing wrong with people paying for he services they receive, its not a house that uses services, its people, but didn't agree with the amount that people were being asked to pay, if it had been set at around £75 per person with the same benefits for the poorest in society I don't think there would have been a lot of decenters, but at the time the amount being asked was stupid. But whichever way local services are payed for not everybody will be happy, people don't like paying out money and thats a fact

[polly]

Originally Posted by Gayle

If you don't use the value of the house for council tax i.e. on the assumption that you live in an expensive area therefore earn a good wage and can afford to pay more (which in a nutshell is the principle of the banding) - then you have to discuss other ways for councils to get their funding and the other way is per person! Which, if you recall was the principle of Poll Tax and think of the disruption and outrage that that caused. There are probably people still languishing in our overcrowded jails because they refused to pay Poll Tax.

The value of ones house does not necessarily denote the level of houshold income. what about pensioners who live almost entirely off their state pension but spent their working lives paying a mortgage? Many OAP's in our area are in the situation that they are now scrimping and scraping to keep the homes they love going.

What about instances such as ours were we are now down to one moderate not fantastic income due to illness. Are we suppose to move some downbeat area just because of the said illness?

Actually Poll tax sounds pretty good to me at the moment, the big problem would be setting it at a reasonable level.

Another question, why the hell am I paying for a ll these youth groups, community centres, business grants blah blah balh when they are nowhere near to me and I can not access them, is that suppose to be fair because I'm working 7 days a week to keep my own family instead of claiming benefits? Rant over

[Gayle]

Originally Posted by jaysay

The concept of te Community Charge (to give it its Sunday name) was good, it was the implimentation that was crap, there is nothing wrong with people paying for he services they receive, its not a house that uses services, its people, but didn't agree with the amount that people were being asked to pay, if it had been set at around £75 per person with the same benefits for the poorest in society I don't think there would have been a lot of decenters, but at the time the amount being asked was stupid. But whichever way local services are payed for not everybody will be happy, people don't like paying out money and thats a fact

I think the concept of Community Charge is/was a good one - in a way it's very Labourish in its principles - every man is equal etc. I don't even think it was brought in wrong, I think the problem was that everyone had got so used to paying tiny rates bills because they hadn't been reevaluated for ages that it seemed like a huge increase - I think my parents went up from something daft like £80 rates per year to something like £250 each for Community Charge.

Because of the current system, which as Andrew continues to point out is very high throughout the country (although Hyndburn is quite cheap in comparison, so I've been told) I think people would be more open to a per person system now.

[Gayle]

Originally Posted by polly

The value of ones house does not necessarily denote the level of houshold income. what about pensioners who live almost entirely off their state pension but spent their working lives paying a mortgage? Many OAP's in our area are in the situation that they are now scrimping and scraping to keep the homes they love going.

What about instances such as ours were we are now down to one moderate not fantastic income due to illness. Are we suppose to move some downbeat area just because of the said illness?

Actually Poll tax sounds pretty good to me at the moment, the big problem would be setting it at a reasonable level.

Another question, why the hell am I paying for a ll these youth groups, community centres, business grants blah blah balh when they are nowhere near to me and I can not access them, is that suppose to be fair because I'm working 7 days a week to keep my own family instead of claiming benefits? Rant over

No, I completely agree with you, I wasn't defending the system only trying to explain the reasoning behind it.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Gayle

my parents went up from something daft like £80 rates per year to something like £250 each for Community Charge.

I wonder why they suddenly needed all that extra money and what they did with it? How did they run the Council before with the small amount?

[harwood red]

message for polly, I noticed you said your husband is disabled, check out your local council rules regarding council tax and the disabled as regardless of income you can get some discounts if you meet certain criteria..eg adaptations to the property for disabled people, them using one room specifically due to disabilities.... you might be surprised!!

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Neil

I wonder why they suddenly needed all that extra money and what they did with it? How did they run the Council before with the small amount?

I don't think the Poll Tax raised anymore revenue than the old rates stystem did.

Whatever budget that was set was just divided by the amount of eligible people in the borough.

I went from paying nothing to paying the highest Poll Tax in Britain....until I bought a flat a mile away, in the borough with the cheapest local tax in the country.

[Neil]

Can I get a reduction because the Council have neglected the grass verges outside my house and have just sprayed them with kill everything weed killer?

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Neil

Can I get a reduction because the Council have neglected the grass verges outside my house and have just sprayed them with kill everything weed killer?

Last year the theme from the council was Floral Market Towns.

This year's is Nagasaki Nightmare.

Stop pouring scorn on these initiatives.