BCP Cllr Lawton – that you condemn BCP council tax harmonising proposals as “morally indefensible” is off the richter scale. Cllr Laughton comments 13th June.
You want to throw morality in the mix, citing “poorest residents” being hit hardest by council tax changes, when you are the party from central government that has decimated the benefit system. For millions now all but impossibly inaccessible Universal Credit a terrifying nightmare.
And locally your party spending I don’t know how many tens of thousands doing your utmost to drive the poorest in the streets off the streets, out of our towns.
The party that gave us loud night-time bagpipe music to drive the homeless out of the bus exchange, put iron bars on benches to stop being used for sleeping (universally condemned in national media), and using every other measure council could come up with to drive the homeless out of Bournemouth. Including the ultimate Orwellian nightmare the homeless fined for “occupying space”, in possession of “flat caps”.
From Tory group anything and everything but actually paying attention to the needs of the homeless. All branded beggars to turn public opinion. No matter they are from care homes, ex-services, any and all who for so many reasons lose their homes. And in that the crying need for local low cost supported rental deposits to give people a roof over their head. All of which I believe is being looked at now by our new Unity Alliance.
So please Cllr Lawton spare us the fake morality. The brazen hypocrisy. The wealthy rarely care about the poor and dispossessed. If we want to be morally decent we wouldn’t have people sleeping in the streets. We wouldn’t have people dependent on food banks. We wouldn’t have tens of thousands in our towns who can’t afford to rent homes let alone buy property.
Whilst at the same time Cllr Lawton we have many thousands in our towns with mansion size multi-bedroom estates (always gated of course), along with all those who have enormous sums of “surplus wealth”, stored who knows where in tax havens.
And you are telling us this is a moral society? One where many can amass huge personal fortunes, make all the choices they want in the world, whilst others are left far behind.
In these respects our new Unity Alliance is clearly working hard to treat our towns and areas fairly. Thus the letters headline in the Echo today : Council cares about people. But raise the matter of morality Cllr then, in those terms, the case is overwhelming we need an embedded progressive council tax system. One where the wealthiest pay in proportion to their wealth. Not, proportionally, far less than the poorest in lowest tax band homes.
To a first approximation tax bands D,E,F (above median) need to double. Bands G and H (highest bands) should triple, or quadruple. Tax paid in proportion to property values and incomes. And this enormously helping the housing market, encouraging conversion to flats.
That we don’t have a progressive council tax system, and we have huge sectors of poverty, with desperate need, from health care, to homes, to schools, young students with grotesque £60,000 debts, that is the “morally indefensible” Cllr Laughton. And all the more so when you factor in the super-wealthy with wealth stashed away in billions in offshore tax havens.
But then that is where your party is rooted isn’t it. Running a devouring monetary system. Owning surplus wealth generating more personal wealth. In our towns some of the most yawning wealth gulfs you will find in the world. Opulent wealth, others desperate to earn enough to pay rent and feed children.
As far as you raise morality Cllr Lawton the issue is working out what is “right” (morally right) and doing our best to put into practice. Not amassing all we can ending up with Tory beggar-my-neighbour politics as we have had from Tories for near a decade. The wealthiest getting wealthier, the poorest suffering the horrors of ten years of austerity. And you want to preach morality ….
Bottom line BCA Unity Alliance council tax proposals are clearly as fair and equitable as they could be. If you want to point to the “morally indefensible” Cllr I suggest you start with multi-billion dollar tax havens. I wager some thousands of such account holders are living in our conurbation – and that including many members of your party.
Jeff Williams
