It is quite simple, you only ever get what you pay for, and it stands to reason that the increases in parking charges, and having to pay for garden waste collection are a direct consequence of this ridiculous and illogical obsession with keeping Council Tax down. Councils have tremendous purchasing power - that enables them to get good deals on purchasing if they act in concert.You either pay individually for services - which is great if you are one of those people who can afford to keep doing this or we collectively pay through the council tax for the services which using their clout, councils should be able to provide at less cost. This argument can be re-played over and over, those with the money buy privilege throughout their lives, those at the top get 10% pay rises while others struggle with zero hours, minimum wage contracts. Meanwhile the myth of 'affordable' housing has provided a £9billion bonanza in benefits for private landlords, because of desperation and no public housing building programmes. It's enough the bloody Tories persist with this, but for Labour councils to just keep rolling over and doing their bidding is simply appalling. If we want services it is a far better and fairer way of paying and providing them through the Council Tax, and I don't actually give a rat's a*se what the stupid manifesto says. This from a party that's supposed to support working people and whose Leader hasn't even heard of Ant and Dec! I ask you, hardly a man of the people, how out of touch with real life can you get?
Vanessa Smith ● 3276d