CROYDON IN CRISIS: ‘Residents simply cannot afford this Council Tax rise’ says Labour parliamentary front-bencher. By STEVEN DOWNES
Shocked: MP Sarah Jones has condemned the Conservative government and Tory Mayor’s move to hike Council Tax by 15%
Sarah Jones, the Labour MP for Croydon Central, has spoken out against the 15per cent Council Tax increase which the Tory Mayor, Jason Perry, is imposing on the borough’s residents from April, calling it “unacceptable” to heap such a massive additional financial burden during the Conservative cost-of-living crisis.
As first reported by Inside Croydon earlier this week, Mayor Perry requested government permission to go ahead with the 15per cent Council Tax hike without the need for a local referendum. The Conservative government minister, Michael Gove, announced on Monday that Mayor Perry had got his wish.
Under Perry’s plans, residents living in a typical Band D Croydon home will have an extra £234 added to their annual Council Tax bill from April. On top of that, there will also be an extra £38 for the Mayor of London’s precept, to pay for the Met Police and London Fire Brigade, which combined will make Croydon Council Tax bills among the biggest in the whole of the capital.
According to MP Jones, this is not the time to raise taxes by so much.
“I am deeply disappointed with the Conservative leadership in Croydon, led by Jason Perry, which has decided to hike council tax by 15per cent across the borough,” Jones said.
“In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis fuelled by disastrous economic policy from the Conservative government, it is unacceptable that Croydon Council has heaped an extra burden on to taxpayers.
“Under current rules, Council Tax can only be increased by more than 4.99per cent with the express agreement of local residents via a referendum, so I am shocked that Mayor Perry has been given special permission by the government in Westminster to raise our tax by an extra 10per cent.
“Proper economic management is vital for any local authority, and there can be no doubt that the previous administration made serious mistakes. Labour will learn from these mistakes and work tirelessly to rebuild trust in our community.
“However, with many of my constituents struggling to make ends meet, this is not the time to raise taxes by such a degree. Residents in Croydon simply cannot afford this tax rise.
“I am asking the Mayor to think again and negotiate a better deal with the government.”
Read more: Perry to preside over record-breaking 15% Council Tax hike
Read more: The Perry Premium: Mayor fails to disclose he asked for 15%
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Perry needs to take a long hard look at the residents of Croydon and then ask himself if they can afford a 15% hike.
He then needs to look in the mirror and he’ll see himself in countless cross party meetings where he signed up to many many idiotic decisions including the promotion of Jo Negreedy and her golden handshake later.
Perry is the proverbial nodding dog but he will find this 15% hike will be his undoing.
I am going to actively brief against him. What a fucking stupid thing he has done.
I mean, it’s pretty well known he voted against the golden handshake. Yet he still gets the blame for this tax increase, not the absolute cretins that caused the problem that necessitated it. They still sit on the Labour benches of the Town Hall chamber today, and one of “Newman’s Numpties” as Mr Downes has quite accurately described them is now the Leader of the Labour Group. You couldn’t make this stuff up.
Jason Perry was the cabinet member for planning and regeneration at the time that Jo Negrini was recruited by Croydon Council, much to the delight of Westfield and the Whitgift Foundation. His part in the decline of Croydon goes a very long way back… And to think you believed him when he said he had a “plan”! How foolish you must feel now, eh?
“Labour will learn from these mistakes and work tirelessly to rebuild trust in our community.”
Does anyone really believe this?
I think that we all know that come the next elections, the same tired old faces will be standing and half the borough will dutifully turn out to vote Labour and the other half Conservative.
Unfortunately you’re probably right there.
Both parties have let the borough down in their own ways but people still vote for them. One of the few positives from the last election is that there were three councillors from different parties elected (two Greens and a Lib Dem, I believe).
That’s a start, but we do need more new faces in as councillors. Maybe then, things will start to change.
Why don’t we all send our next council tax bill to Jo Negrini and Tony Newman and suggest they pay this extra 15%, after all it was their “serious mistakes” which caused this mess!
And at the same time, remind the chain of command, ie Sarah Jones and Steve Reed, both nodding dogs themselves who saw what was happening and did nothing to rein in the stupidity of the Labour Party mafia masquerading as Council leaders.
Perhaps in these circumstances we should be claiming back the 15% direct from the Labour Party after all, it was on their watch that bad things were allowed to happen.
If all this fails, then we should rise up and revolt!!!
You’ll need to be revolting *before* it all happens, Anita, not wait until after the Tory Mayor you worked so hard to get elected inflicts the 15% Council Tax hike on all residents – simply because when he said he “had a plan”, he was bullshitting us all.
#ABitMoreShit
Jones can try to make political capital out of this but I didn’t hear her speaking out in shock when Labour Councillors were making the disastrous planning and investment decisions that led to this. As an MP, she still had a responsibility to residents beyond party lines.
Unfortunately both parties are to blame for the huge debt, the Tories started the ball rolling and Labour just carried on, now we find ourselves with a diabolical council who are obviously as bent as a £10 coin
Always thought it was “as bent as a nine-bob note”.
You’re showing your age
If she’s really shocked she hasn’t been paying attention
Exactly! Let’s not forget that Kerswell – herself the recipient of a ‘Negrini Payout’ – did nothing to address the destruction of the Borough by certain Councillors and the inept planning team and, with no obvious improvements to Croydon since her appointment, residents campaigned for a Mayor.
We’re now paying twice for executive leaders. Heather Cheesborough resigned and Nicola Townsend was promoted. Cheesborough decided to stay and so resident are now paying twice for two people on six figure packages who have done irreparable damage to the Borough, cost taxpayers thousands in legal and other costs and they are not trusted by residents.
Paul Scott and Alison Butler earned lord only knows how much in allowances from taxpayers and we all know the history there.
Before Mayor Perry asks for a single extra penny from residents, he needs to address the performance of senior officers properly. Otherwise he is throwing money at a problem without addressing the cause. If my kids can’t manage their pocket money I don’t give them more.
Likewise, you don’t give more money to people who do not know how to do their jobs, don’t act in the interests of residents, and can’t balance books. He will be seriously underestimating the anger of residents if we are forced to compensate for incompetence of officials.
No referendum, no alternative budget presented, mayor of londons precept above £20. They laugh in the face of their own rules and people. The wording says the above are all musts. Not maybe if you grovel to gove or except when it’s people we don’t care about. This is some super dodgy shit and what is terrifying is the arrogance, the entitlement the blatant disregard for democracy