Latest short term Council Tax fix no substitute for real action

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 6th Dec 2004

"This year's local government finance settlement is another short term fix, with government departments having been ordered to cut spending to keep council tax increases artificially low prior to the general election," commented Cllr Mark Pattenden (Eltham South), Liberal Democrat Finance spokesman.

"The additional funding from government, announced by Gordon Brown, is clearly welcome for the hard pressed local council tax payer. However it is still likely that we will see council tax rises higher than inflation, with no overall improvement in services. The need to scrap the unfair local council tax, which is already too high, and replace it with a local income tax based on people's ability to pay becomes ever more urgent."

"The crisis over council tax is not over and this latest short term fix is once again no substitute for real action," concluded Cllr Pattenden.