"Hampshire council tax-payers to be overcharged again" say Lib Dems

9.22.47am GMT Fri 27th Feb 2009

Council tax-payers across Hampshire will be overcharged again this year following Conservative-run Hampshire County Council's decision to reject a zero council tax increase, say the Liberal Democrats.

The Conservatives decided to reject a proposal for a zero council tax increase at Thursday's Budget Council meeting.

In the past three years Hampshire has inflicted inflation-busting council tax increases resulting in vast sums of council tax-payers money building up in the bank.

Reserves and balances have increased from £97 million on 1st April 2006 to over £180 million in just three years. A whopping increase of £83 million! The cost of cutting the council tax increase to zero is just 9.6 million.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Cllr Adrian Collett, said:

"Council tax is a harsh tax which hits those on low or fixed incomes such as pensions particularly harshly.

"With the current economic situation Hampshire should have given back a little of the money that it's overcharged in the last three years. It would cost just £9.6 million of the £180 million of tax-payers money that's stashed away in the bank.

"There's no excuse not to give people a holiday from county council tax increases this year. The County Council tax is over 70% of the council tax bill, so a zero increase would make a big difference at this time. "What a shame that the Conservatives have insisted on over-charging people yet again."

The Liberal Democrat Alternative Budget also proposed a £5 million boost to road, footway and verge maintenance plus various other service improvements funded by cutting spending on publicity and spin and transferring it to the services that people want the County Council to provide.