Punishing the Disabled: Council Tax in Havering 2019-20

Buckingham Palace isn’t in Romford but let’s suppose it is. It’s worth hundreds of millions of pounds. You’d expect the Council Tax to be stupendous. You’d be wrong. Council Tax protects the wealthy. The disabled on the other hand have just had their Council Tax increased by about 36.6%. The Conservative administration in Havering has changed government safeguards to the detriment of the disabled whilst at the same time not increasing the general Council Tax by the permitted amount. The disabled are partially subsidising the rich.

Buckingham Palace’s Havering Council Tax, 2019-20, would be £3,457 p.a.,¹ even though it’s worth hundreds of millions. Council Tax protects the rich from meaningful property taxes.

In March 2019 there are many houses for sale in Emerson Park at prices in the range £1-£4 million+.² They pay the maximum Council Tax of £3,457 p.a. This is about 0.2% of the wealth these houses represent. The most expensive house currently on sale is priced at £4.6 million. Its Council Tax equates to 0.15%.³

The Conservative administration believes that those receiving benefits are scroungers. Government authorised Council Tax Support (CTS) for the disabled is being corroded. In 2018-9 the disabled paid 15% of the general Council Tax. Havering has increased the 2019-20 CTS to 20%. This is a 36.6% increase in total. It is a vicious, premeditated punishment of the disabled.⁴ Large numbers of people are affected by this decision.

About 18% of working age people living in Havering disclosed that they have a disability or long term illness.⁵

I’d have thought that the disabled had enough to put up with without their lives being made harder by Havering Council.

1 https://www.havering.gov.uk/info/20000/council_tax/168/council_tax_bands_and_bills

2 https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?searchType=SALE&locationIdentifier=OUTCODE%5E2189&insId=1&radius=0.0&minPrice=1000000&maxPrice=&minBedrooms=&maxBedrooms=&displayPropertyType=&maxDaysSinceAdded=&_includeSSTC=on&sortByPriceDescending=&primaryDisplayPropertyType=&secondaryDisplayPropertyType=&oldDisplayPropertyType=&oldPrimaryDisplayPropertyType=&newHome=&auction=false

This is the Rightmove site

3 These figures only relate to Emerson Park and there probably are other properties elsewhere in Havering which are priced higher.

4 http://democracy.havering.gov.uk/documents/s34954/Council%20Tax%20Support%20Scheme%207%20CouncilTaxSupportSchemeOptionsAppendixF.pdf

5 http://www.haveringdata.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/This-is-Havering_Havering-Demographic-Profile_Main-Document-v2.4.pdf p5