Originally Posted by lancsdave (Post 590879)

I wonder if the council wasted more money than the government on celebrating our national day. I hope not, anymore rises in CT to pay for being English would be unthinkable :rolleyes:

http://row.bc.yahoo.com/b?P=sgsdHVf4...796478%2fV%3d1
Culture Minister Margaret Hodge confessed that her department spent 116 pounds on promoting England's national day this year, two pounds more than in 2007 -- and absolutely nothing in the previous three years.

Originally Posted by garinda (Post 590875)

Just be grateful you don't live in Hyndburn.

Did you know that according to the Daily Telegraph that we live in one of the most expensive boroughs in the country, on figures worked out using band D property?:D

By the way, it's properties that are banded together, not areas. You might for instance have a one bedroomed cottage next door to a large Vicarage, which would of course be in totally different bands.

Originally Posted by garinda (Post 590875)

Did you know that according to the Daily Telegraph that we live in one of the most expensive boroughs in the country, on figures worked out using band D property and band A wages?:D

Originally Posted by andrewb (Post 590899)

Corrected it for you Rindi dear. ;) :D

Originally Posted by garinda (Post 590875)

By the way, it's properties that are banded together, not areas.

Originally Posted by Gayle (Post 591029)

If you don't use the value of the house for council tax i.e. on the assumption that you live in an expensive area therefore earn a good wage and can afford to pay more (which in a nutshell is the principle of the banding) - then you have to discuss other ways for councils to get their funding and the other way is per person! Which, if you recall was the principle of Poll Tax and think of the disruption and outrage that that caused. There are probably people still languishing in our overcrowded jails because they refused to pay Poll Tax. :D

Originally Posted by Gayle (Post 591029)

If you don't use the value of the house for council tax i.e. on the assumption that you live in an expensive area therefore earn a good wage and can afford to pay more (which in a nutshell is the principle of the banding) - then you have to discuss other ways for councils to get their funding and the other way is per person! Which, if you recall was the principle of Poll Tax and think of the disruption and outrage that that caused. There are probably people still languishing in our overcrowded jails because they refused to pay Poll Tax. :D

Originally Posted by jaysay (Post 591125)

The concept of te Community Charge (to give it its Sunday name) was good, it was the implimentation that was crap, there is nothing wrong with people paying for he services they receive, its not a house that uses services, its people, but didn't agree with the amount that people were being asked to pay, if it had been set at around £75 per person with the same benefits for the poorest in society I don't think there would have been a lot of decenters, but at the time the amount being asked was stupid. But whichever way local services are payed for not everybody will be happy, people don't like paying out money and thats a fact

Originally Posted by polly (Post 591154)

The value of ones house does not necessarily denote the level of houshold income. what about pensioners who live almost entirely off their state pension but spent their working lives paying a mortgage? Many OAP's in our area are in the situation that they are now scrimping and scraping to keep the homes they love going.

What about instances such as ours were we are now down to one moderate not fantastic income due to illness. Are we suppose to move some downbeat area just because of the said illness?

Actually Poll tax sounds pretty good to me at the moment, the big problem would be setting it at a reasonable level.

Another question, why the hell am I paying for a ll these youth groups, community centres, business grants blah blah balh when they are nowhere near to me and I can not access them, is that suppose to be fair because I'm working 7 days a week to keep my own family instead of claiming benefits? Rant over

Originally Posted by Gayle (Post 591209)

my parents went up from something daft like £80 rates per year to something like £250 each for Community Charge.

Originally Posted by Neil (Post 591211)

I wonder why they suddenly needed all that extra money and what they did with it? How did they run the Council before with the small amount?

Originally Posted by Neil (Post 591292)

Can I get a reduction because the Council have neglected the grass verges outside my house and have just sprayed them with kill everything weed killer?