Paul Johnston

At the Guildhall at 7.30 this evening (28th February) the Council will set the Budget for the coming financial year. A further rise in Council Tax of about 4.99% is expected from the Liberal Democrat Administration.

Kingston will, thus, still have the highest Council Tax in London. 

The suggestion is made in a recent ‘Focus’ leaflet that this is all the Government’s fault. It is certainly true that, since 1997, the Labour government has used Council Tax in places like Kingston as one of Gordon Brown’s ’stealth taxes’. Our Lib Dem MP claims to be campaigning to get the Government to change its policy in this regard. Experience shows that there is no chance of that happening. To change the Government’s policy one will need to change the Government. We haven’t noticed much enthusiasm for a change of Government from his party since 1997.

The same FOCUS leaflet complains that Goverment will take nearly £6m from our Housing account this coming year to subsidise Council housing elsewhere. This means that 29p of every £1 collected from tenants in rent will go outside the Borough. This figure has risen by almost £2m since the tenants voted to 'stay with the Council' rather than support a large scale stock transfer (LSST), which would have kept this money in Kingston. Again Mr. Davey wants the Government to change its policy. Again this is a gesture rather than an action likely to be of any use. The Executive has refused to consider any other options since the rejection of LSST two years ago and the word has it that it has set its face against any further pursuit of LSST before the 2010 local election. So the situation will continue to dteriorate while the Lib Dem Executive and MP do no more than wring their hands.