George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Some good news :)

Can you make it 2015 please George?

Then perhaps I can save some money or not as the case may be.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15145083

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Everything is a cut from somewhere else unless there's a tax rise or surplus to fund it.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Way I see it madness really it surely has to go up with inflation to just maintain current standards. You can freeze forever else we end up one staff member who goto do everything.(lol) No seriously how many years its been frozen know then these stupid cuts ontop which hitting sevices instead getting the rats on the top sensible wages.

Lets not forget some councils created new job of manager who oversees the cuts at stupid wages.

I am all for tightening wastage but services should not be cut or ground staff lose there jobs if those jobs would effect quality/services.

Should streamlined management first/wastage even would argue that instead sacking some MP'S they should consider the bloated councillors. Bring there wages down.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Well said.

Most people may not realise just how much they are losing in public services, which in a worst case scenario could, and probably will cost lives.

Take a look at the cuts in emergency services. Less firefighters/firestations, less ambulance crews in an already overstretched service. Less police and support staff, leading to more unsolved (or in many cases uninvestigated) crimes. And probably an increase in crime.

Then you have to look at cuts in social services, leaving the more vunerable members of the community without help. Cuts in education meaning that our childrens future could suffer. The list goes on and on.

Then the government tell us that they are changing public sector pensions to save money. When in fact if only 7% leave the scheme (because it won't be worth staying in it), then it will actually cost the tax payer more money.

So I wonder how many people wouldn't mind an inflation rise, just to maintain the level of services we have now.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

If you guys believe our current public spending at a shade over 50% of the entire national output is insufficient I'd write to your MP.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

All the councils will do is


Move to fortnightly bin collections like my council is intending to do
Increase parking fines
Charge for using the waste site just like my council wants to
Increase the cost of large item collections


They have many options that you can bet they are already crunching the numbers on to find the increases they need. All this while reducing what they have to spend it on but ensuring that there heads of dept salaries are maintained or increased. Councils are a law unto themselves :)

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Most councils have already done all the things you mention. The cuts actually go far deeper than that as I mentioned earlier.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Our council is the largest employer in the city, so using up skilled people who could be outside the coddled council environment making, or doing, something which actually brings in ££££ to the country.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

It's debatable whether all the council officers with words like 'access' and 'facilitation' in their non-job titles actually have any skills that might bring ££££ to anywhere.

If I were a betting man I'd put money on the suggestion that most of these people went to a third-rate 'university' and got a BA in a subject with the word 'studies' in it.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Are you trying to get a bite out of that comment???

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Yes councils are a law to themselves.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

No, they're not - they get over half their income from Central Government, so are fairly tightly controlled.

(That's the problem using tabloid-style soundbites - they frequently don't reflect reality.....).

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

However it is easy for them to increase again, for instance parking fines only impact those breaking the law they will say, charging to use the waste site will impact many especially at Christmas when you have a large increase in rubbish. Warrington BC generally will not take extra bags at this time as it is against health and safety of the bin men as they have to handle bin bags that might have glass in them. So those taking them to the tip could have a fee to pay :rolleyes:

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

The few things you mention wouldn't go anywhere near the millions of pounds they have to save. Which is why they are making huge cuts in public services.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

It won't harm those councils that are in the most deprived areas especially as they received only a fraction of their income from council tax anyway, being mostly reliant on central government grants, or if you prefer tax payers elsewhere, for their local spending.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

But those are the councils who are probably most hit by the government cuts.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

I agree you only had to look at where and % cuts each council got most depraved areas got absolute pounding by the so called where in it together.

It was sham the same with freezing council taxes not allowing natural inflation increase.

Yes there no doubt inderect council taxation will be more. Thats fines litter bugs and some fines been absolute comical like baby drops banana.

Parking fines again some have been wrong been successfully appealed.

Charges for parking up many now charging disabled drivers.

If they can find away to tax every person indirectly they will to cover shortfall. Problem with this thinking is the targets given to wardens it should not be money profit setup but merely enforcing legislation.

Its process which needs nipping in the bud before out of hand therefore instigate hybrid allow councils to move breath so services not effected.

Fair playing field in its hammering of councils independent Audits to see if councils waste funding. Reduce hierachy including COUNCILLORS who many do it for MONEY not the cummunity. Strict rules on pay to top bosses.

Power to people to sack Councillors and say in its direction.

More localised funding GOVERNMENT dont know whats best for your town you know whats best.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

And what is really disgusting is the wages taken by the heads of some county councils.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Who saw substantial funding increases thanks to the Labour administration reallocating block grants and council tax increases. Certainly doesn't seem to be hurting one of the most deprived areas in the country given they had the money to do this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11984977
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12242831

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2011/10/34.gif

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

They received a substantial funding increase because they are deprived areas. This usually means high unemployment, and low income, meaning less income from taxes.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Less income from which taxes?

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Council tax, which is why they need more from central government.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Erm, you said You do realise that the money for council tax benefits* comes from the DWP (Central Government), not local councils, don't you?

*the local council reduces the amount you pay, and claims that back from the DWP

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Without going into too much detail, and to put it in a breif and simple way. The more deprived the area, the less money in the local economy from both businesses and private individuals. A less prosperous local economy means mor financial burden on the local authority.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

I've just compared Tower Hamlets and Newham with my own Borough in London, this money doesn't seem to be going on front line services.

Tower Hamlets for example has a 25% higher population yet spends 3 times as much and only £160,000,000 of this £800,000,000 is accounted for by transfer payments.

I suspect these councils are inefficient as hell to be honest thanks to having all this extra money in block grants. From silly things like that Tower Hamlets and Newham both insist on weekly and fortnightly respectively doses of tax payer funded council propaganda while Richmond only gives it quarterly and covers it through advertising through to multi-million pound offices, grants to Islamist organisations and ever expanding chief executives' pay.

I picked on Tower Hamlets and Newham though I'm sure it applies in many different areas.

In short some councils need to wind their neck in and focus on providing core services rather than having central government tax payers pay for them to put a newspaper through every resident's door saying how great they are once every week or two. Doesn't it seem odd to you that councils like Richmond and Wokingham, with tiny or non-existent central government grants, are more efficient than councils that get huge grants?

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

I agree - but without going into too much detail, and to put it in a brief and simple way; that's not what you said....:D

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Business tax from ALL businesses is distributed throughout the country not in the council where the business is located. Wealthy areas subsidise poorer areas. Deprived areas also get more individual per person NHS funding.

In the general scheme of things you would expect Oxfordshire to be a fairly wealthy council, yet the local roads are some of the worst maintained in the country.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Why do you always have to argue? I didn't say it word for word, but I shouldn't have to spell it out should I.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

You made a incorrect statement about less income from taxes - I felt it appropriate to point that out.

You may call it arguing - I call it being factual.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

The nhs quote is hard to believe.

Every gp I have seen in a inner city area has been shocking to wealthier areas outside of cities.

Also check these figures.

My sisters area under blaby council and outside of city area her gp surgery has 8 doctors, the area it covers has 6% less people than my gp surgery which has jut 2 GP's.

My parents area a little seaside town which is half empty half the year has 7 gp's in the surgery and even its own hospital. If I go to that hospital which I have done I wait 5 mins in a&e, in leics royal infirmary its over 2 hours.

Re: George Osborne extends council tax freeze
 

Fact (based on 2006 information) Oxfordshire received around £126.00 per person in NHS funding where areas like Merseyside were getting around £168.00 per person.