Council Tax

[Chris S]

It is with deepest concern the Council have raised tax by the highest amount permitted without a referendum to 4.99%  

It is also unclear why this county has one of the highest rates in the UK.  I've heard the usual excuses that because Herefordshire has a number of isolated communities, this is the reason for the difference.  This is complete nonsense as Council tax is banded in the place in which you live and is not used as a general taxation for communities in which others live. 

Council tax by design does not follow general taxation principles in which equity and the actual amount a person has with income are completely ignored.  

The 1991 banding process is now so out of date and cannot be applied accurately.  If you have not bought or sold your property in 1991 or close to that date, the valuations as the years move out become very inaccurate.

Equally concerning are the facts that services are getting less and less and more expensive as with the Balfour Beatty contract who the tax-payer must pay a 3% protected profit even before any work commences.  

There has been a 15% increase in tax in 3 years.  This cannot go on especially as the Council have not done their legal duty in relation to the EQA 2010 under s149.  

Services are not done to standards required as in street cleaning (DEFRA guidance issued under EPA 1990) Highways Maintenance Plan and it is unclear how the council expects individuals to pay more and more when salaries and employment are down and that the social fabric of the country has been torn apart.  

It must be made perfectly clear that individual budgets and that of government are not at all the same. They are hugely different in the fact the Bank Of England underwrites government policy.

If others ae concerned about their abnormally high rates, act on this and stop complaining. 

 

 

 

 

[megilleland]

The world's gone crazy, everything is completely at cock. No common sense just get the Money, take Power and get Control.

[twowheelsgood]

It seems that at every level in public service there is no accountability. We get the glib 'make your view known at the ballot box', but that solves nothing. At a local level, I know council staff will manipulate or obfuscate as they see fit to suit their own agendas, political or otherwise, and councillors are often ignored or lied to by the staff who are supposed to be serving them (and us). The same in the civil service. Very rarely are staff brought to book over misdemeanours, there may be some window dressing if it's really bad, but it's usually hushed up and the old 'promote them upwards to get them out of the way' kicks in. Failing that, they are paid a very significant amount to move sideways to another authority. I see absolutely nothing that warrants a 15% increase over 3 years, all I see is the City and County becoming more and more run down, broken and dirty, and a private business delivering public works work to a terrible standard that just would not be accepted in the private sector. Social Services consumes a huge part of the budget, yet still continues to fail. I see profligate waste of council tax money at every turn, no common sense as megilleland says, yet no one listens. Why are those in charge content to accept such decline and do nothing? I guess we're back to not rocking the boat and protecting the handsome pension pot. I'm concerned, but honestly don't see a way to get things changed. Which is exactly where 'they' want us.

[Hereford Voice]

On 30/03/2025 at 20:20, megilleland said:

The world's gone crazy, everything is completely at cock. No common sense just get the Money, take Power and get Control.

Agree, everything is so expensive! And yes the World is a weird place right now