Forum Topic

council tax 

The long-term unemployed in Ealing are going to face a tough regime from April. The council has decided on a minimum payment of about £210 a year, but this jumps to £330 for residents unemployed for more than 12 months. How mean is that? But it is this stupid goverment who blame Labour for having to make the cuts, then don't have the gumption to make it themselves..just passing the buck to the local authorities to decide what it is right. The monster Tories are polarising this country. The rich are getting richer and the poor poorer. More riots, more division and less cohesion.There is a proposal on the table that if you were to get arrested and spent a night in a police cell, you will leave the station with a bill of around £400 to pay. Considering the majority of those who are arrested are not going to be in a position to pay, what will happen next? Sent to prison for not paying a fine? That will do nicely: costing the state around £1,000 a week

Ben Owen ● 4854d10 Comments

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear.Any able bodied person in receipt of benefits should be made to work in order to asssit in paying back some of the cost to the rest of society.I have absolutely no beef with the intentionally idle who support themselves.

Tony Colliver ● 4850d

The devil makes work for idle hands?

Keith Iddon ● 4850d

Nobody should be made to do what they don't choose to do - if they wanna be idle, then let 'em - as long as they don't ask for a hand-out for their idleness.

Gerry Tan ● 4850d

"...if somebody "won't " work, they shouldn't get anything..."Even more than that - they should be *MADE* to work.

Tony Colliver ● 4850d

Agree with you Keith, if somebody "won't " work, they shouldn't get anything - zilch, nothing, zero, snake's belly!

Gerry Tan ● 4851d

Is there a difference between 'can't work' and 'won't work'when it comes to these things?

Keith Iddon ● 4851d

If someone can't work, its fair that they're helped with paying their Council Tax.It may be a good idea to charge criminals for accommodation in Police cells - its a novel idea - wonder if it'll catch on?

Gerry Tan ● 4851d

Gosh, how terrible that people who have spent a year on benefits at our cost still get most of their council tax paid for by us as well.Maybe the original poster can explain why so many hard working Poles and Lithaunians (amongst many others) have managed to come to Ealing in the last year and find work almost straight away whilst people who already live here are apparently unable to find work or perhaps are unwilling to take the work that is clearly available and which our new neighbours are happy to do?PS: the police cell charge isn't a proposal - it was a comment from a new Police Commissioner in Herts I think and nothing to do with the Government or the Met Police.

Tony Gould ● 4852d

The majority?How do you work that out?it might be an unwelcome burden.It might be an irksome burden.But it is unlikely to be a burden that cannot be shouldered by most.Perhaps it will act as a deterrent to the kind of behaviour that tends to find many people inside a cell for a night in the first place.After the first time they are likely to think twice about engaging in behaviour likely to see them detained overnight.Anyway, I can't see it coming into force regardless of what a good idea it might be.

Tony Colliver ● 4853d

Sadly Ben joined-up thinking is not a strong suit for any aprty.The replacement of Disabled Living Allowance with PIP (Personal Independence Payment) is a case in point. The 'virtually unable to walk' limit has been cut from 50 metres to 20 metres. If you can walk 21 metres you will lose the mobility component from April 2013 and that will cost severely disabled people up to £30 per week. You can appeal. The cost that the taxpayer bears for administering the lengthy appeal process would pay for the reduction for years. Why do it?By all means root-out the scoungers but this blanket change will consign many people to the scrap heap or, at best, confine them to their homes.

Nigel Brooks ● 4854d