Mike
Weatherley pledges to get Whitehall’s
tanks off Brighton and Hove’s lawn
Mike Weatherley
has welcomed the publication by Conservatives of their plans to free
local councils – including Brighton
and Hove City Council – of unnecessary Whitehall red-tape and
regulations, and strengthen the powers of local councils to run themselves.
The proposals were published by Conservative Party
leader, Michael Howard, in a local government manifesto, which outlines the
‘10 principles’ by which the next Conservative Government would deal with
local councils. The manifesto also includes pledges to:
·
Allow local councils to return to the Committee system, rather
have a Cabinet or Mayoral executive structure.
·
Scale back the unpopular ‘Standards Board’ regime, whose
disproportionate codes of conduct have forced many parish councillors to resign
in protest.
·
Oppose the imposition of workplace parking taxes on local
businesses and oppose congestion taxes being levied in local high streets.
·
Slash Whitehall red-tape afflicting councils, such as via the
abolition of bloated inspection regimes like so-called ‘Best Value’ and
Comprehensive Performance Assessments which cost over £1 billion a year.
·
Prevent taxpayers’ money being spent on unnecessary
restructuring of the tiers of local government and the creation of a new tier of
distant regional politicians.
·
Reduce the amount of ‘ring-fencing’ of central government
grant, allowing councils greater discretion to spend money on local priorities.
Soaring
council tax is the fault of the Government, who have intentionally used it to
raise the burden of taxation. They have also loaded councils with extra burdens
and bureaucracy without funding councils properly. As the independent Audit
Commission have said in their own report on the causes of higher council tax:
‘National
cost pressures taken together account for about £2.3 billion of the total
increase in councils’ spending of £4.3 billion. In other words slightly
more than half the total increase is due to national pay and price
inflation, increased national insurance and general population growth.’
‘The
causes of increase spending by councils included… national policy
priorities, such as the requirement to increase funding for schools by an
amount determined by government or to meet national waste recycling
targets.’
‘Grant
redistribution – which moved grant from London and the south to the
midlands and the north – led to some councils putting up council tax more
than others. We found a clear association between the size of grant increase
a council received and their increase in council tax.’
(Audit
Commission, Council
tax increases 2003-04: why were they so high?
December 2003).
Mike explains,
“Council
taxes have gone through the roof in recent years.
Since 1997 council tax bills have soared by £563
equivalent to a hike of 94% - or
10 times the rate of inflation.
Yet front line services such as refuse collection, and the city centre
traffic and parking situation have failed to improve.
Just take a look round the city and you will see black bin bags left on
the pavements for weeks, and huge tailbacks along the A27 and A23 at most times
of the day. Conservative
council’s offer better services and lower taxes.
Band D 2004/5 council tax in Brighton and Hove set by Labour is £1,162. In Conservative controlled Westminster, it is £605.
And that includes a £241 precept set by the Labour controlled Greater
London Authority.”
The Labour
Government has hammered Brighton and Hove City Council by fiddling the system of local
funding and imposing a constant and much-resented blizzard of directives, red
tape, ‘initiatives’ and other burdens that have diverted resources away from
local services.
Mike adds:
“Centralist
intervention has not only forced up local taxes, it has also damaged the very
foundations of local democracy in Brighton
and Hove, creating an acute sense of voter disillusionment and apathy
with government in general.
“Yet I
welcome the alternative vision being offered by Conservatives, which will get
Whitehall’s tanks off this cities lawn and let local people decide what’s best for
our community. Conservatives are
the largest party in local Government and have proved beyond doubt life is
better under the Tories. I look
forward to the General Election battle ahead and Conservative’s returning to
govern the country.”
More
information on the Conservatives’ English local government manifesto can be
found at:
http://www.conservatives.com/news/article.cfm?obj_id=99996
The
‘10 Principles of Conservative Local Government’ are:
Independence
Conservatives
believe that local councils, made up of locally elected representatives who
understand the needs of their localities, must have the powers they require to
safeguard the interests of their communities. Local councils should not be
agents of Whitehall, acting as mere administrative cogs in the wheels of the
State and simply carrying out and interpreting the orders of central government.
Local
Conservatives
believe that the unit of local government should not be so large that it ceases
to be within easy reach of the individuals who are affected by its decisions.
Local government must be what people want it to be: genuinely local in character
and composition. Sprawling tiers of regional bureaucracy, distant and remote
from local communities, have no place in our vision of local government.
Low
Tax
Conservatives
believe in the provision of high quality local public services at reasonable
cost to the local taxpayer. Conservative councils deliver the best quality local
services, and yet still charge lower levels of council tax and oppose plans for
new additional taxes on local people.
Locally
Accountable
Conservatives
believe that councils should be given the freedom to succeed. They should be
able to innovate and experiment so that they can develop the local policies and
solutions that are right for their area. If they fail, voters should then elect
other representatives to champion their interests.
Less
Bureaucracy
Conservatives
believe that people should live their lives free from unnecessary and intrusive
interference from Whitehall or town hall officials. Councils should focus on the
provision of high quality local public services. Businesses and voluntary
organisations should be able to prosper and innovate without having the heavy
hand of government upon them. The burden of bureaucracy must be cut.
Civic
Pride
Conservatives
believe people should be proud of their neighbourhood, town or city, county and
nation, bound together by a sense of common identity, history and tradition.
People should feel that they have a sense of ownership over the local
environment and quality of life in their neighbourhood.
Care
for the Environment
Conservatives
believe in preserving and enhancing all parts of the environment - the
countryside, the suburbs and the urban centres for our own and future
generations. We believe in empowering local people to take local action to
improve and safeguard their quality of life.
Opportunity
for all
Conservatives
believe that equality of opportunity is the best way to end dependency and
deprivation, and to allow every parent to give their child a better education
than they had. We believe in an upward escalator to opportunity, ownership and
responsibility.
Compassionate
Conservatives
believe it is the duty of everyone to look after those who need help in their
daily lives. We will work to promote security and dignity in old age, a decent
home for all and better support for the vulnerable. There can be no freedom
without responsibility for others.
Safe
and Secure
Conservatives
believe in a safe and secure neighbourly society, where help is given to prevent
young people being enticed on to the conveyor belt to crime. We want to see a
visible and respected police presence, reassuring the law-abiding and answering
to the communities they serve.”