tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9565399.post768817869491520121..comments2024-03-21T09:30:11.468+00:00Comments on Man in a Shed: The dishonesty of New Labour laid bareMan in a Shedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00990902055642035293noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9565399.post-65202507720638657242007-10-06T14:28:00.000+01:002007-10-06T14:28:00.000+01:00Local Government finance is a complete shitfest. E...Local Government finance is a complete shitfest. Every council's budget is heavily subsidised by the government (the Council I'm on raises only about 45% of its budget from council tax) and since most councils are now Conservative-run, our grants are continually squeezed by below inflation increases, while our staff wages (again largely controlled by Government) increase slightly above inflation. Then various other ways we raise money (e.g. planning fees) can be completely wiped out at the stroke of the Chancellor's pen. It leaves us in a position where we can either increase tax above inflation, destroying our reputation for "sound money", or cut services, reinforcing our perception as being penny-pinching Scrooges. Cunning, huh?Mark M Heenanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18099466567373992700noreply@blogger.com