Council capping will be an admission of failure by Labour
May 4, 2004 12:00 AM
Edward Davey: Capping is a betrayal of local government
Edward Davey MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, has slammed Labour's record on Council Tax.
Speaking ahead of the government's decision to cap the Council Tax rises of local councils, Edward Davey said, "If Labour caps councils today, it will be a huge admission of failure. Labour has failed to reform the cause of high rises - the unfair Council Tax system. Labour has failed to back local democracy over Whitehall control. Labour has failed to stick to past election promises to end capping. Rather than capping councils, Labour should scrap Council Tax."
Lib Dem controlled Shepway District Council is expected to be capped. Yet this shows the absurdity of central decisions. The 29% rise this year comes after an average rise - averaged over the last 10 years - of just 3%. Whereas the average Band D council tax in England has gone up in the last 10 years by 94%, in Shepway it has risen by only 37.4%.
Liberal Democrats took over Shepway Council from the Conservatives last May to find a council that was spending more than it was raising, with no financial reserves. Ministers are capping Shepway not because it makes sense for Shepway, but because it gets headlines for Labour - a betrayal of local government.
The Liberal Democrats have launched a national campaign to Axe The Tax (www.axethetax.org), replacing the unpopular and unfair Council Tax with a new system of local Income Tax, based on ability to pay and not property value. Edward Davey will deliver a huge national petition in support of the Axe The Tax campaign to 10 Downing Street on 11th May 2004.
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