Forum Topic

Ealing's Labour Council to tax ill and disabled

Ill and disabled people are going to lose part of their council tax benefit from next year under government directives to make people on sickness and disability payments pay council tax. Even though Ealing Council is run by an elected Labour Council and the Labour Party have been condemning the Conservative Government welfare reforms they are going to be charging ill people who will receive no extra benefits to match this. Ealing residents who have been receiving Council Tax Benefit are being sent a letter for public consultation on a draft scheme that Ealing Council will be implementing for this.While the letter is headed up as coming from the "Benefits Service" of Ealing Council this is not the coming from the department which is intended to help those with benefits (that is another part of Ealing Council) it is, in fact, coming from the bit of the "Council Tax Collection" service that grudgingly deals with Council Tax Benefits.On first inspection it looks as if interacting with this consultation is going to be handled in the same even-handed way (not) that the tickets to Ealing Council's Olympic Torch Party in Walpole Park were distributed: in a way that the ill, disabled, or without the Internet are not able to access fully.No information about the proposed "New Tax" is being sent out, the letter directs those notified to either visit the Ealing Council website on www.ealing.gov.uk/consultations or to ring 0208 8825 7000 and choose option 5 (thats through a switchboard). This is hardly an inclusive or accessible path for many ill and disabled people in Ealing.The question is: is this an attempt by our Labour Council to get more money out of the ill and disabled by making it difficult for those affected to interact in the process and hence on the QT? I would like to see a pledge from our local Labour Party that those in Ealing will not pay any more than they would have before these changes.The letter reads thus:Benefits Serviceyour ref: (blank)case ref: (a number)date: 13-Aug-2012please ask for: (blank)direct line/ext (blank)Dear XXX,I am witing to inform you that the government has announced changes to Council Tax Benefit. From 1 April 2013, Council Tax Benefit, the current means of helping people on low incomes pay their council tax, will be replaced by a new localised Council Tax Support scheme.Certain vulnerable groups, such as pensioners, will not be affected by the changes. However, if you are a working age person currently in receipt of Council Tax Benefit it is likely that the proposed changes will directly affect you.Ealing Council has been working on designing a local scheme and is now carrying out a public consultation on its draft proposals. The consultation runs from 8 August 2012 to 3 October 2012. If you would like more details on:* Why the scheme is changing* Who will be affected by the changes* What the proposed changes are* How you can have your sayPlease visit our website: www.ealing.gov.uk/consultationsOrRing 020 8825 7000 and choose option 5.Yours SincerelyAnthony Walker.Ironically, the bottom of the piece of paper has two highly inappropriate logos on it: an "Investor in People" logo, and a "Positive About Disabled People" logo.

John Arthur Forest ● 4978d9 Comments

Are they really doing the Honourable Thing by resigning.? Bankers get found out in their negligence for which they pay themselves a Fortune ,then walk away with Bonuses that also amount to small fortunes and Claim that the are doing the Honourable thing by leaving or resigning.MPs get caught fiddling their expenses and taking undue advantage of their many Perks and Privileges and also get quietly out of the public gaze by "Doing the honourable thing ", and still holding on to the life of Riley. Politicians manipulating sections of the town and city population into accepting Huge wage cuts and  Job cuts  OR  replacing labour recruits from foreign Vulnerable struggling groups to take up and replace established labour forces under the slogan that they were unsuitable and were refusing to do the jobs farmed out. While talking about recession the Bosses increase their own wage bill by double figure increments . Money, Greed and Selfishness rules supreme These are todays false Gods and in their places of Worship there is No Room for the Sick,the Elderly and the Poor if they have not been able to have some Money.

Os A Whittle ● 4895d

John,The local Conservative group are dead set against the proposals being made by the council.  This is in keeping with our record in power when we consistently protected the poor and underprivileged.  The effect of Labour's new Poor Tax will be to ask non-vulnerable people, often those working on low incomes, to pay 20% of their council tax.  This will be hard to collect and will lead to lots of upset.  The government proposals could be criticised but ultimately it is up to the council to prioritise its tax and spending decisions within the finance envelope spelt out by central government.  This new tax, for that is what it is, a poll tax for the less well off, has been covered twice over already, it does not need to be levied and it is purely the choice of the Labour council to levy it.  It had been paid for once over as the administration has already made allowance for the loss in their budget.  Their original plan was to defer bringing it in until April 2014 as they thought that they could not comply in time.  The council's finances had been agreed on the assumption that the council would suck up any shortfall from central government.  Twice over?  Local authorities' financial relationship with central government is "swings and roundabouts".  The council will be quick to tell you about cuts but cynically refuses to tell you about new money.  For instance the council is already on track to receive over £15 million as a reward for keeping council tax down.  One new freedom allowed by the government is to end council tax discounts for second homes and zero rating for empty properties, etc.  The Labour council has decided to make use of all these changes in full.  In fact the value of these changes is £2.5 million a year.  This amount almost exactly matches the net amount that the council intends to collect from its new Poor Tax.  This is new money that the council was not expecting.  It could easily have applied this to mitigating the council's loss on the council tax benefit side.  John, you are right to suspect that the Labour council is intent that residents feel pain.  They, perhaps rightly, calculate that residents will blame the Conservatives.  It is cynical in the extreme.  The Labour council is choosing to tax the poor.  It is their own decision.  It is paid for twice over and is not necessary.

Phil Taylor ● 4896d

P.S. This does not necessarily mean that I agree with their views, or indeed what they do. They do actually work!

John Arthur Forest ● 4896d

It is so easy to be negative when examing the way Ealing Council operates, but there are some "good eggs".The councillors who I have encountered who do work hard are: Millican, Taylor (Phil), Ball, Zerdin, and Gallagher. Quality does not seem to be linked to any one particular party. I won't mention the "wastes of space".I just thought that I would add this as I didn't want to seem too negative about all this.

John Arthur Forest ● 4896d

The councillors who I have encountered who do work hard are: Millican, Taylor (Phil), Ball, Zerdin, and Gallagher. Quality does not seem to be linked to any one particular party. I won't mention the "wastes of space".

John Arthur Forest ● 4896d

I am sorry to seem so negative about this consultation process, however to survive in this world you have to pick your battles. This is not one that is winnable at Ealing Council level. It will probably be decided in a high court.To correct what I said earlier, some of our politicians do work hard and are very effective, however some are not. I wonder how some of these got through a selection board let alone a sobriety test.On the other, how hard can it be to kick the butts of a few council board directors to get a fountain fixed in Walpole Park? Something just does not add up in all this. Incidently, I think the present fountain may breach H&S!

John Arthur Forest ● 4896d

I am embarassed to confess that I did not send in a letter to the Council. I have reached the point with local and national government that nothing will change or happen unless there is substantial protest of the physical kind. Filling in a letter or interacting with Ealing Council is just an excuse for it yo hire more people to process the letter... and manage the people who are processing the letter. With the ridiciulous state of affairs around so many things in Ealing: Southall car parks, Southall boulevards, it is pretty clear that no one is actually listening. I am starting to veer towards the Brentford Trilogy way of thinking where emphatic comment is made using half-a-brick in a dark alley. I suspect that is the only thing that most of our beer-loving local politicians would actually be capable of understanding.

John Arthur Forest ● 4896d

Sadly the degree of care and interest most plebs have for this subject is reflected in the lack of response.I attended a public consultation on this subject in Central Library. The two young Council Officers were clearly embarrassed about 'fronting up' this exercise to take more money of the poor, disadvantaged and the vulnerable.John - did you write and send in your letter? If so what response did you receive?

Eric Alan Leach ● 4897d

I saw a reference to this on the Ealing council Twitter feed the other day, and having looked over the propositions was moved to complete the online consultation with some fairly robust comments.I'm able bodied, employed and not on any benefits, but was very much reliant on c-tax support (along with housing benefit and JSA) during a period of unemployment which lasted long enough that these days, under this govt, would probably have ended up with me boosting Tesco's profits by stacking shelves for nothing.The council's proposals are couched in reasonable language, obviously written with care to detract from the obvious harm this will be do to some of society's most vulnerable. But most of their so-called "principles" have holes big enough that you could get more than a wheelchair through them.I really wonder where they imagine some people are supposed to suddenly start finding the income to pay higher bills, while basic living costs continue to soar, we have mass youth unemployment, and are in a double dip recession.Obviously a solution is required, but once again we see this council targeting those who are most vulnerable. Always the soft targets. Libraries, day care centres, now those needing support to pay their council tax (non-payment of which carries a potential jail sentence, does it not?). I don't see why we should be surprised at the colour of the council taking this action. Tories attack the poor and disadvantaged because they hold them in contempt and see opportunities to exploit them. Labour believe they know best, but are childish and corrupt enough to do it just so they can point fingers and blame it on a central government ideologically led by the Tories. Just another form of exploitation. Hard to tell which is worse.

M. Duley ● 4978d