Accrington Web - View Single Post - Tory Candidate fiddling Council Tax figures

g jones · 04-03-2010, 15:40

John Moss, a prospective candidate for the Tories has suggested with a large graphic headline that under Conservatives, residents in Hyndburn are £371 better off.

http://mossjohnblog.blogspot.com/201...bout-cuts.html

Mr Moss is clearly trying to mislead people by fiddling Council Tax figures.

The actual figures do not match Mr Moss's claims and contain several false statements and factual errors.

The 7 years prior (1997-2004) that Mr Moss relates to as 'being Labour run' were in fact 3 years Conservative. His figure of 6.95% attributable to Labour for those years is clearly false.

He has taken a 'whimsically magic' figure of 6.95% and multiplied it by 7 years and added it to Labour for 2004-2010 when Labour's figures are actually available as a matter of public record and way below Conservative increases (see table below).

My corrections are in red, Johns words in Black.
Will John Moss apologise for misleading the public? Will he explain how he arrived at this figures? Will he be putting this misleading information on his leaflets?

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Quote
"For the seven years since the Conservatives took control of Hyndburn Council, they have increased Council Tax, on average, by 3.68% each year, culminating this year in a freeze. True but the rate of inflation was half that figure.

In the seven years before the Conservatives took control, when Labour ran the Council (Labour had just one year in power 2002-2003, The Tories ran the Council for the 3 years before that, and then Labour the 3 before that), the average annual increase was 6.91%. (This is completely false information - 3 of those years were Tory, see table below). If Council Tax in Hyndburn continued to rise at that rate for the last seven years, residents in an "average" band "D" home, would have been £371 worse off. (Labour's budgets 2004-2010 are laid out as a matter of public record and average 2.9%, Conservative rises average 4.1% - see table below)

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First Seven years - All Conservative Council with Conservative rises, Labour amendments defeated.

2010 Con 0% Lab 1.5%
2009 Con 5.0% Lab 2.0%
2008 Con 5.0% Lab - no amendment (so assumed 5%)
2007 Con 4.8% Lab 3.0%
2006 Con 5.0% Lab 2.9%
2005 Con 5.0% Lab 3.0% IIRC
2004 Con 3.9% Lab 3.0% IIRC%
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Next Seven Years - Listed are the Controlling Group and the Council Tax they passed

2003 Labour 3.9% (When De Loitte Touche and the Auditors said Labour inherited a Council that could not afford to pay the wages)
2002 Tory 2.8%
2001 Tory 7.9%
2000 Tory 0.0%
1999 Labour 6.9%
1998 Labour - do not have (end of ratecapping)
1997 Labour - do not have

04-03-2010, 15:40	#1
g jones Senior Member+ Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,125 Liked: 14 times Rep Power: 732	Tory Candidate fiddling Council Tax figures John Moss, a prospective candidate for the Tories has suggested with a large graphic headline that under Conservatives, residents in Hyndburn are £371 better off. http://mossjohnblog.blogspot.com/201...bout-cuts.html Mr Moss is clearly trying to mislead people by fiddling Council Tax figures. The actual figures do not match Mr Moss's claims and contain several false statements and factual errors. The 7 years prior (1997-2004) that Mr Moss relates to as 'being Labour run' were in fact 3 years Conservative. His figure of 6.95% attributable to Labour for those years is clearly false. He has taken a 'whimsically magic' figure of 6.95% and multiplied it by 7 years and added it to Labour for 2004-2010 when Labour's figures are actually available as a matter of public record and way below Conservative increases (see table below). My corrections are in red, Johns words in Black. Will John Moss apologise for misleading the public? Will he explain how he arrived at this figures? Will he be putting this misleading information on his leaflets? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote "For the seven years since the Conservatives took control of Hyndburn Council, they have increased Council Tax, on average, by 3.68% each year, culminating this year in a freeze. True but the rate of inflation was half that figure. In the seven years before the Conservatives took control, when Labour ran the Council (Labour had just one year in power 2002-2003, The Tories ran the Council for the 3 years before that, and then Labour the 3 before that), the average annual increase was 6.91%. (This is completely false information - 3 of those years were Tory, see table below). If Council Tax in Hyndburn continued to rise at that rate for the last seven years, residents in an "average" band "D" home, would have been £371 worse off. (Labour's budgets 2004-2010 are laid out as a matter of public record and average 2.9%, Conservative rises average 4.1% - see table below) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- First Seven years - All Conservative Council with Conservative rises, Labour amendments defeated. 2010 Con 0% Lab 1.5% 2009 Con 5.0% Lab 2.0% 2008 Con 5.0% Lab - no amendment (so assumed 5%) 2007 Con 4.8% Lab 3.0% 2006 Con 5.0% Lab 2.9% 2005 Con 5.0% Lab 3.0% IIRC 2004 Con 3.9% Lab 3.0% IIRC% --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next Seven Years - Listed are the Controlling Group and the Council Tax they passed 2003 Labour 3.9% (When De Loitte Touche and the Auditors said Labour inherited a Council that could not afford to pay the wages) 2002 Tory 2.8% 2001 Tory 7.9% 2000 Tory 0.0% 1999 Labour 6.9% 1998 Labour - do not have (end of ratecapping) 1997 Labour - do not have Last edited by g jones; 04-03-2010 at 15:48.