02 March 2017

Largan's tall tax tales

When Labour stood for election in Hammersmith & Fulham in 2014, it made a clear manifesto promise: "We guarantee to cut taxes and root out waste".

And that's what it's done. It cut council tax in its first year and froze council tax last year and again this year. It also found £3.4m extra a year this year for adult social care.

This is something no other council in the country has managed.

Sadly, not everyone is pleased. Take Robert Largan, the shrill Conservative councillor for Sands End, who's just emailed his constituents with the fib that Labour have "abandoned their tax guarantee".

A forensic examination of the small print of Largan's email shows he's actually complaining about the fact that the Mayor of London's "precept" has increased by 1.5%. This is the Mayor's part of the council tax, collected by London's boroughs, which helps pay for GLA services and City Hall.

It's nothing to do with H&F Labour council. They said they'd cut taxes and they have.

Even with the precept, H&F residents' total council tax bills are are likely to remain the third lowest in the country.

What a contrast with when H&F Conservatives ran the council. The Tories paid for council tax cuts by levying over 600 sneaky stealth taxes.

What a shame Cllr Largan has nothing to offer residents except an "alternative truth" that would make Trump proud.



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