CONGRATULATIONS on your 'Opinion' article February 7 on who is to blame for the forthcoming massive increase in council tax.
I too have asked the Forest of Dean MP to publicly declare the Government's position on the apparent low settlement grants for 2003/2004 which Gloucestershire County Council and the Police Authority blame for the "soft option" attack on council tax payers. Unfortunately, to date, she is in your category of "keep your head down" and it will go away.
Your readers will be interested to learn that the Gloucestershire County Council precept will rise by 13 per cent (additional £118 per annum). The Forest of Dean District Council precept was to be 3 per cent but will be 6 per cent just to build up its bank balance (additional £10 per annum).
To cap it all the Police Authority at is meeting on February 17 will raise their precept by a massive 50 per cent (additional £58 per annum). Council taxpayers will have to find £184 a year more or £3.50 a week.
Who has received a pension increase of 15.50 per cent or a pay rise of this magnitude?
It is ridiculous for Cabinet members of Gloucestershire County Council and the Police Authority quango to say that council taxpayers "welcome a massive increase" in council tax from April 1. No-one approached me for my views and I suspect that the majority of your readers were oblivious to what has been going on in Shire Hall and the Police Authority.
It really is time that those responsible for setting the precepts come into the real world of setting budgets that reflect the general rises in inflation. Prices are stable and wage awards are generally no more than 3 per cent.
How then can increases in double figures be again justified? I for one would have little objection to a 5 per cent increase (even this is double the rate of inflation) and I urge your readers to make their views known to the MP, county councillors and members of the Police Authority (the latter can be contacted via the Shire Hall switchboard). Do it quickly otherwise you will have a shock when that brown envelope is delivered to your house next month.
PS: I agree wholeheartedly with you that £120,000 of our money will be wasted on a GCC newspaper. If council taxpayers were to be allowed to ask searching questions then perhaps some good could come of such a publication but like you stated it will be full of self congratulations.
Papers such as yours and to some extent the Forester and Citizen do at least question what is going on.
Just look at the 'Situations Vacant' advertisements to see the weekly growth in staffing levels in both the county council and the Gloucestershire constabulary.
How can five press officers be justified in the police at an annual cost of £100,000? (I expect an immediate response to this question!)
I see the police force has advertised for a highly paid Health and Safety officer. It begs the question: "Who has been doing this work since the act came into force some three decades ago?" I could go on. – M. Gardner (email).