By Martin Walker
The UK Independence Party candidate for Sedgefield has slammed Labour-controlled Durham County Council for enforcing a rise in council tax without consulting with the public.
Like many local authorities, DCC opted to increase council tax by the threshold figure of 1.99%.
Any rise over 1.99% would mean it would have to consult with the public.
And the UKIP candidate for Sedgefield, John Leathley, says it’s typical of many local authorities which are controlled by mainstream parties.
“Recently council tax has increased by 1.99% and this is wrong on many levels,” said Mr Leathley.
“It may look peculiar to some people but there is a reason why the council tax rise is 1.99%.
“It is that exact percentage because your council decided to raise it without your consultation and that is the maximum they could do so without having to ask you to do it.
“Either they feel it is OK to do that or they know you would not accept it at a higher level than 1.99% given the choice otherwise they would have done exactly that.”
Mr Leathley admits the rise isn’t exclusive to Durham, but added: “It doesn’t matter if it is a Labour or Conservative administration the result is the same.
“Personally I find this type of behaviour typical of the LibLabCon and it goes to show they don’t care about you or what you want.
“In hard times they ask more money from you when your living standards and income have most likely not improved.
“This election you need to consider who you want your MP to be. Do you want someone who won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour of more of the same. The only chance of change and a voice you have is to vote UKIP.”
1 Comment
John D Clare
April 6, 2015 at 11:46 amDoes Mr Leathley understand the difference between a council election and a parliamentary election? Here he is campaigning about the County Council Tax rise. Elsewhere he is squabbling with local councillors on the social media. This could perhaps be expected in a local election (which indeed would be more appropriate for a man of Mr Leathley’s experience). But it shows that he is of insufficient stature (or wisdom) to be our MP and to represent us at Westminster.
The only issue in his letter relevant to the current general election is his statement that he “won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour” from local councils! I notice that Tory candidate Scott Wood says, similarly, that he wants to bring local authorities “to account”.
I realise both are trying to tap into anti-Council feeling. But – thinking about it seriously – even if we are fed up with the Council – do we really want this from our MP? Do we really want to elect someone who is stating up front that he will interfere in the way our local council is run (even if it has behaved absolutely as the law requires)?
Apart from the fact that I would rather our MP interfered in the way Westminster was run, there is a constitutional issue here. Since the 1980s, the level of central government control over local government has increased to the point where all we can do now is implement Mr Pickles’ cuts (and take the blame for it). And most people realise that central government decisions work much more for the benefit of the south-east than our north-east.
So there is a clear choice on 7th May. Do we vote for a Labour Party whose manifesto promises to devolve more self-determination to the north-east? Or do we want Mr Leathley or Mr Wood, who are both openly threatening to encroach on our democratically-elected local government … in order to impose – presumably – their right-wing dogma and even more cuts?
John D Clare, writing in a personal capacity.