A HEADLEY pensioner has welcomed all new councillors voted into office in last Thursday's local elections. Christine Melsom, founder of the Isitfair Council Tax protest group, is hoping that new faces and fresh ideas will help bring about change to a 'fairer' system of taxation. In a statement this week, Mrs Melsom said: "We welcome the many new councillors in local government across the country following last week's elections, and they will be well aware that council tax is a hot issue for many of the people who elected them. It is obvious from the results that the public are disenamoured with the government's performance. "The present government has presided over a 91 percent increase in council tax since 1997. We've had an inflation-busting increase every year since 1997 and at the same time services have been cut. Many services that were previously provided without charge are now means-tested. In addition we now face the prospect of additional taxes for services that are already paid for by our council tax. We keep paying more tax and get less service in return. Local councils must realise that this cannot be allowed to continue." Mrs Melsom continued: "The government dictates the vast majority of local council spending but then attempts to distance itself from the relentless tax increases. Their well-worn excuse is 'don't blame us, blame your local council'. Local councils then blame the government for grant settlements which force them to charge more council tax. And so, year after year, the blame game goes on and council tax payers are obliged to foot the bill." According to Christine Melsom: "The Local Government Association must now apply more pressure on the government to alleviate this ever- increasing council tax burden. Local councillors should be representing the people who elected them and we expect them to stand up to continued government interference in local authority affairs. "The government, for their part, must get their heads out of the sand and start to listen to the electorate. They know that the present system of council tax is unfair but persist with patching up the system and handing out billions of pounds in means-tested benefits instead of formulating a long-term solution. They know it doesn't work but, as yet, it hasn't caused them any damage at parliamentary elections in England. However, it will not have escaped the attention of Westminster MPs that council tax was a key issue at the elections for the Scottish parliament. "The big stick comes out whenever there are protests against the unfairness of this tax. Everyone is aware that our prisons are overcrowded but there always seems to be enough space to accommodate a council tax protester for 30 days should they dare to challenge the unfairness of the present system." Isitfair is calling on local and central government to find a solution to what they describe as "this unfair system of taxation". Christine Melsom urges new councillors to take up the cudgel on Isitfair's behalf: "We waited three years for the Lyons Inquiry report which had promised a lot but delivered no radical recommendations. We're tired of all the excuses, empty promises and delaying tactics from our elected representatives. We expect last week's successful candidates to recognise the extent to which this unfair tax is affecting the lives of many of their constituents and make some progress towards finding a solution. "Action is long overdue. The council tax issue must be dealt with, and now."
