Council Tax hurts Tory Support

The announcement that Medway Conservatives have raised Council Tax again by 2.95% will not come as a surprise to this blog, or the hard working residents across Medway, who will have to pay another gaulling increase.

Medway Conservatives fib to the electorate at every local election. They pledge that they will cut tax and keep Council Tax low. After the election they do an abrupt U-Turn and tax above inflation.

The fact is that the Medway Tories have raised Council Tax above inflation EVERY year since they took office.

This blogger recently submitted a Freedom of Information request on the Council to reveal to the public the year on year increases in Council tax undertaken by Medway Conservatives and the cost to the average band D Council tax payer.


The statistics are now available publicly on an obscure webpage found here.

Be aware that this blog is using the total aggregated figures provided by the Council and uses last years numbers when the precept was known.

The figures provided to the press for this year 2011, are also very disengenous because it appears to this blogger that they have omitted the precept charges from the Kent Police & Kent Police Authority. These would also be added onto the final bill. The average Band D property is therefore likely to pay in excess of £1,300 with all charges included.

Despite the ideological committment of the local Conervatatives to cut tax, they have actually raised it, over and over again.

It is ironic that Medway Tories tax people to the hilt because the Conservative party spokesperson on Local Government Caroline Spelman was very clear on the matter when Medway Tories tried to tax above the 4.5% cap in 2006;

"Hard working families and pensioners are being hit right in the pocket by tax hikes and have to face the prospect of ever-increasing council tax bills year on year," she said. "It's understandable that people resent these huge rises - the typical household now pays over £100 a month."

Yet Medway Conservatives still increase the tax every year?

The evidence is in now in black and white. Medway Tories are not only poor stewards with your money but they tax you more for the pleasure. It is sad that it is likely Conservative voters who are getting squeezed by Medway Conservatives the hardest.