Council tax increases kept 'low'

Courtesy of BBC.CO.UK
Council tax bills in England are set to go up by an average of 3.9% - the lowest rise for 14 years, says the public accountancy institute, Cipfa.
Cipfa's survey for BBC Radio 4's Today programme and the Times newspaper showed average bills for a Band D home will go up by £52 a year to £1,370.
The government had said it wanted council tax rises substantially below 5% - and most councils complied.
Wakefield, Derby, Leicester and Slough face the steepest rises at around 5%.
Police costs
Much of the rise in council tax bills is due to sharp increases in the costs of policing, including the employment of more Community Support Officers.
In Lincolnshire the police precept has soared by 79%, adding £100 to the average council tax bill.
But the BBC's local government correspondent John Andrew said the government would be pleased that its policy of capping council tax rises had been largely successful.
He said councils had been motivated by capping and by local political pressure into becoming much more efficient, but the government was seeking greater economies in the future.
Local Government Minister John Healey said there was no excuse for excessive council tax increases. He said the government would continue to use its capping powers to protect the public.
"By cutting waste, councils could save as much as £1.5bn, which could be used to invest in local services or reduce pressure on council tax bills", Mr Healey said.
Central government funding for local authorities will increase by £900m. Mr Healey called this "a fair and affordable settlement" which had helped keep council tax bills down.
But the Local Government Association criticised the government grant settlement as the worst for 10 years, and warned it could lead to cuts in local services.
"Keeping council tax down has been made harder by several government departments shifting extra costs on to councils, whilst limiting funding from central government to a real terms 1% increase", LGA Chairman Sir Simon Milton said.
He said the there would be "difficult decisions to make locally."
The National Pensioners Convention said that even at below 5%, this year's council tax bills would still "bring more misery to millions of pensioners".
General Secretary Joe Harris said the average Band D bill of £1,374 represented about a third of pensioners' spending, and came on top of rising food and fuel bills.
"The government has no solution to the unfairness of council tax, apart from asking pensioners to claim discredited means-tested benefits", Mr Harris said.
"We urgently need complete reform of the system that takes account of the ability to pay."
The Conservative Party agreed that the problem for council tax payers was the combination of increased bills with rising gas, water and electricity costs.
Shadow local government secretary Eric Pickles said it would be the most vulnerable who would suffer the most, including the elderly and other people on fixed incomes.
"It is shocking that council tax has doubled in 10 years of this Labour government", Mr Pickles said.

Is Anyone Listening?

Is Anyone Listening?
UK Seniors are the poorest in Europe, yet they live in the richest country in Europe - a country that is also the fourth richest economy in the World!!.
Seniors have been actively campaigning for almost 20 years for the restoration of the Link to Earnings.

Is Anyone Listening?
No one has been listening to the case for the Restoration of the Link - consequently pension levels have dropped considerably below a reasonable level. We believe that the basic pension level should be set at "one third average earnings for a single pensioner and one half average earnings for a couple" - That is not too much to ask!

Is Anyone Listening?
Governments and politicians have forgotten that today's pensioners have lived through very troubled times.

• All were born before and grew up during the Second World War.
• Some of them fought for their country in that War.
• All of them were involved in helping the UK to get back on its feet after the "war to end all wars".
• All of them were promised by the government "We will look after you from the cradle to the grave".
• All of them were told (and believed) "You've never had it so good".
• All of them were encouraged to SAVE SAVE SAVE.
• Most males served in the Armed Forces either in National Service or as a Regular.
• All of them paid National Insurance with the promise of a FREE National Health Service and a decent pension on retirement.
• Most of them paid Graduated pension contributions or SERPS.
• All of them lived through successive "boom and bust" - economic triumphs and disasters.
• Most of them were made redundant in the "bust" periods - at least 3 times.
• All of these "lost" their occupational pensions and were forced into "cashing in their superannuation".
• Most managed to find employment again in the "boom" times and (for a time) joined a new company pension scheme.
• Some of them never worked again.
• Most of them who received pensions found that they were not "index linked".
• None of them ever imagined or dreamed that they would have to fight and campaign to get better pensions and to restore their dignity.
• Most have realised that saving for a "rainy day" means that the government can save on their pension payouts.
• Most of them have to spend all their savings before they get a decent pension level.
• Some have their house "stolen" to pay for care.
  

Is Anyone Listening?
UK Seniors are concerned that crime and abuse against older people is on the increase - they believe that "perpetuators" in the UK are influenced by the attitudes of successive uncaring governments who have relegated the elderly to the "scrap heap".Is Anyone Listening?UK Seniors feel that they have been betrayed and, what is even worse, totally ignored.

Is Anyone Listening?
UK Seniors have been expecting New Labour to increase their pensions substantially and to link any future pensions to average earnings. They now believe that New Labour, when they promised to review the link in their manifesto and didn't, has thrown away a golden opportunity to ease the financial burden of seniors.

Is ANYONE Listening?