Havering Council Meeting: an act of pitiless indifference on 23rd January 2019

The vote was a triumph of manipulation based in part on a budget consultation.¹ There were 140 responses, most of which saw through Damian’s loaded questions, with 65% rejecting his question one.

Question one: Is it reasonable to expect working age claimants without a disability to pay at least the minimum amount of 25% towards their Council Tax bill?

A ‘‘Yes” answer is agreeing to a 67% increase for this group of council tax payers.

Benefits are inflexible as they’re subject to the government austerity programme. The GLA commented that…..Council’s proposed scheme would be amongst the schemes that require the highest level of contribution from working age claimants [in London].²

Damian is increasing council tax for the most vulnerable so that everyone else pays a slightly lower increase in 2019-20.

Re-writing question one is helpful.

Question one (re-written): Is it reasonable that the poorest working age claimants without a disability should have their payments towards their Council Tax bill increased by 67%?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Question two shows Damian to be both repugnant and cunning

Question two: Should working age claimants who are disabled and less able to increase their household incomes be protected and pay a minimum of 20% towards their Council Tax bill rather than 25%

Damian here is benchmarking council tax support at 25% when in it’s currently (January 2019) 15%. He was hoping that his ‘largesse’ in apparently reducing disabled council tax from 25% to 20% would gain him kudos. He still lost the ‘vote’ 53%-36% but it was a goodish result for him. Some responses spotted question two is based on a lie. There’s no reduction for the disabled. The disabled are facing an increase of 33%.

Question two (re-written): Should working age claimants who are disabled and less able to increase their household incomes pay an increased 33% towards their Council Tax bill?

Damian’s 2019 budget is shameless. It’s an attack on the most vulnerable people in Havering, because Damian won’t put up council tax by the authorised 6%. Worse: it’s a display of testosterone fuelled posturing at the expense of the weak and helpless.

1 http://democracy.havering.gov.uk/documents/s34258/CTS%20Consultation%20Outcome%20Report%20Appendix%20A.pdf

2 ibid p16

Chris