Council Tax

Dear Editor

My complaint about the fact that I have to pay Council Tax for an empty flat had the response from Nu Labour Councillor Roger Truelove that the Fire Brigade and Police are council tax funded the assumption was that to maintain these services I should pay council tax on an empty property if not I should not expect the service. So does the same apply to the unemployed and disabled who do not pay Council Tax (in most cases) are we going to revert back to hundred or so years ago where a house would display a plate on the wall stating that they had paid there insurance and if they had a fire the brigade could extinguish it? The Council Tax is a bad Tax it only charges Property owners or registered Tenants a fairer system would be for everyone to contribute to the up keep of a Council. It was interesting to note that he mentioned 4000 people in Swale on the housing waiting list if that is the case why did I have so few enquires from British Subjects, nearly all I got was from Immigrants most of whom could hardly speak the language when asked if they would be able to read the Contract, supply a references from a previous landlord and employer, all standard procedure, they could or would not comply. In GB according to the Nu Labour Government prediction we will have to build a house every six minutes for the next 23 years to cope with new immigrants. This will mean our Council Tax will be soaring through the roof not to pay just for the Housing but for new schools, already one in seven primary school children have English as there second language. Roger Truelove boasts how his government are giving financial support for the housing crisis and so they should they caused the mess. The one thing for sure the people of Swale will pay and they will be the people who have jobs, run businesses and own property who will be squeezed and I wonder when and if all these houses are built who will be living in them?


Martin Clarke Sittingbourne