Inflation Busting Council Tax Increase

The Tories have set a Brentwood Council Tax rise of 4%. Essex County Council, the Police and the Fire Service have already all set their rates for 2007/8.

Band 'D' Rates: 2006/7 2007/8

Brentwood Council (provisional) £153.81 £159.83 (up 4%)

Essex County Council £960.39 £1003.95 (up 4.5%)

Essex Police £110.97 £116.46 (up 5%)

Essex Fire Authority £58.23 £59.94 (up 3%)

Totals £1283.40 £1340.28 (up 4.4%)

All (except perhaps the Fire Authority) are above the rate of inflation.

Tory 2004 Election 'Bribe' still has its impact!

Perhaps Brentwood Tories 'saved' you £10 in 2005/6, but Essex and the others all still put up their rates, so you still had a large Council Tax rise!

But Brentwood Council lost around £100,000 in income. This accumulates down the years. The then Borough Treasurer estimated the loss to the Council as £1,200,000 over the next 10 years. So how can the Council make up this shortfall?

The Council Tax is not Brentwood's only income, there are the Stealth Taxes!

These are the Fees and Charges, which Tory-run Brentwood Council are putting up with great abandon. All are rising by up to 5%, or more 'if the market will bear it'!

• Car Parking Charges rising by an average of 7%

• Cemeteries - some fees rising by up to 10%

• Planning Enforcement Notice rising 19%

And finally, there are cuts in services

Do you agree that our streets, paths and verges have got increasingly dirty and neglected? Well the Environmental revised estimates for 2006/7 show that a saving of £40,000 has been saved on 'cleansing of streets....'. and the street cleansing 'hit' teams have been discontinued.