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Council tax freeze for Islington is scuppered by 'knife-edge' vote
Danny Brierley27.02.09
A PLAN to freeze council tax in a London borough failed after opposition party pushed through a rise of almost £25.
The ruling Liberal Democrat group in Islington was planning credit crunch-inspired plan that would keep council tax bills for the coming year at the same level as the past 12 months.
But Lib-Dem councillor, Andrew Cornwell, voted against his own party to for a rise of almost two per cent with perks for the elderly and children.
Labour's amended budget for a 2.5 per cent rise was voted through by 24 votes to 22. Bills in the north London borough will rise by 1.8 per cent because London Mayor Boris Johnson has frozen the amount of money people pay to the Greater London Authority.
According to the Liberal Democrats, residents in Islington will now be hit with the highest council tax increase in inner London.
However, pensioners will get a £100 rebate funded by a series of spending cuts and all children at nurseries and primary schools will qualify for free meals.
The budget meeting was followed by a vote of no confidence and a mass walkout by Lib-Dem councillors. Labour also said council leader James Kempton announced that he would attempt to stop council tax bills going out.
A council insider said: “The whole group marched out of the chamber. There was shouting, jeering and pandemonium from the public gallery.
“The council is on a knife edge anyway. They weren't helped by the fact that one of their number was in a hospital bed suffering from kidney problems and unable to make the vote.”
Residents in Band D homes will see their £1,248.23 bills increase by £23.50.
Labour said it was funding the pensioners' rebates and free school meals by slashing £127,000 from councillors' salaries and cutting the public relations budget by £50,000.
Mr Kempton, whose salary will drop by more than £5,000, said: “I think it is a really bad decision. Of all the times for a council tax hike now is the wrong time.”
Catherine West, leader of the Labour group, said: “I am proud that we have passed this budget to help working families in tough times.”
Reader views (3)
Since when is it the council's job to feed children? Yet again this is Labour representatives pursuing outdated socialist theoretical dogma.
- Chris W, London
They had to take action to increase the tax why?.
Because they have a black hole in there pension pot and it's you and me and others all over this country who's paying for the councils pensions ...... services can go out of the window as far as the councils are concerned ..... fact?.
- John L., Scarborough, N. YKS, U.K.
Elsewhere in the paper you report that the recession means many middle class parents will be pulling their children out of independent schools and sending them to state schools instead. Who exactly will benefit from free school meals for every pupil then? Surely a council tax cut, which gives parents and nonparents alike choice in how to spend their own money, would be a wiser move.
- Melanie Raynes, Clerkenwell WC1
