Quote:
Originally Posted by andrewb
I don't really understand what you're getting at. You have already said the increase in weekly wages was 36%, less than council tax over that time. You can find specific circumstances where that is not true, of course, because it's an average. If you are arguing for a review of council tax so that it is based on ability to pay (which you seem to be getting at since I'm sure you accept 45% increase over the last 10 years is much, much less than the average in the country), then that's a national government issue. Our council can only deal under the current structure.
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What I am saying is that the rise in earnings since 1999 has been 22.62% as against your figures for the rise in Council Tax.
As, in an earlier thread, along similar lines, you would not accept people's own evidence of small wage rises, I thought I would give you some offical figures, but obviously you don't want to accept them because they differ from your arguments
You seem to be under the impression that weekly (and annual) wages in Hyndburn are much higher than they are. Why do you disagree with the ONS statistics – in case you are unaware, the ONS collect wage information from all employers (it did used to be monthly and I assume it still is).
The Median hourly rate in Hyndburn (for all employees in 2007 was - £7.97 per hour, with an average of 37 hours worked per week – based on these figures weekly pay was therefore £294.89 and the gross annual pay was £15282). These area all figures taken from the following the LCC website and cite there source as the ONS.
www.lancashire.gov.uk/office_of_the_chief_executive/lancashireprofile/areas/hyincome.asp
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No doubt you will note, that the weekly pay actually fell in 2007, in 2006 it was £290.70 per week and in 2005 it was £293.70 per week.
So the residents in the borough are faced by the triple whammy of falling wages, rising Council Tax and lack of good services.
What do you consider an expectable number of hours, that anyone should work to achieve the weekly wage that you think is the average for Hyndburn. Please bear in mind, that in the year 2007, the total Household incomes within Hyndburn range from to £36500 in Baxenden and Altham wards to £22000 in Church ward (which is only 60% of that of Baxenden and Altham wards).