COUNCIL TAX HIKE BACKLASH

CUT PAY OF CLLRS
RURAL TAX CUT DEMAND
CALL FOR WFH BAN
TOP EXECS ‘DON’T LIVE’ HERE
STOP NET ZERO SPEND

By Phil Informs

THE public has been throwing rotten tomatoes at Crumberland Council as it plans to screw a 5% Council Tax rise out of people from next month.

A specially selected number of angry comments made by the public to the Council during its budget consultation have just been buried on the Labour Council’s website.

This scathing feedback has so far not been noticed by our local “newspapers”.

Keep in mind that last month The Crumbling News, Carlisle, veered into Council Propaganda Sheet territory with this headline about the public feedback to the budget.

But back to the public’s actual reactions.

Remember – if these are the comments that Council staff chose worthy of public consumption, imagine the ones they left out…

“I find another full increase disgusting…I already pay over £1,600 Council Tax for a three-bedroom property, which is exactly the same as neighbouring properties pay even though they are four-bedrooms!”

“Cut services that are not mandatory.”

“A 4.99% increase is unthinkable.”

“4.99% increases could push some people into poverty.”

“Cut the pay of councillors by 4.99%”

“Why are people in areas such as CA12 (Keswick) penalised for working hard, saving & missing out on holidays having to pay extortionate Council Tax when council services favour West Cumbria & areas of social deprivation?”

Another:

“Rural residents should all get a 50% to 75% discount on Council Tax as they do not benefit from services to the same level as town dwellers. Carlisle residents get the most services so should pay a great deal more.”

“Please do not spend more money on useless cycle lanes that are poorly maintained. I say this as a cyclist.”

“Start with cutting down on senior management positions. The number of directors and executive positions and wages paid for these is ridiculous.”

“Too many people at the council working from home and not doing their job. They do not deliver basic services. Do not reply to emails. And there is no line of authority to complain when officers do not do their job. Working from home is allowing staff to hide…home working is not the answer. Get staff back in the office and they will be more productive.”

Another correspondent suggested some top directors at the Council are not even living here!

(Imagine if we had newspapers prepared to ask these questions!)

“Move your Directors to actually live in Cumberland,” they said.

Another added: “There are too many staff who don’t know their role.”

“Reduce costs, particularly staffing costs, by reducing non-essential services. For example, strip out any funding and staffing dedicated to climate change or net zero policies. These are not essential services.”

On the campaign trail last year, Sir Keir Starmer, now Prime Minister, told the public: “Not a penny more on your Council Tax.”

(Had a Bo Jo or Mad Lizzie Truss promised this, you can bet that Cumbria’s local media would have been paying close attention.)

Cumberland will slurp up £178 million in Council Tax during 2025-26 and will pocket £55 million from local businesses rates to fund its, er, essential work.

Crumberland also expects to have to spend more public money when using outside contractors.

Because of the Labour budget, external firms are expected to hike the fees that they charge to the Council after Rachel Reeves raised the National Insurance contributions that employers must pay.

The Council expects this to mean that contracts with outside firms will need an extra £2.3 million. Charges to the Council are also going to increase because of a hike in the National Living Wage.

The Council expects to need £2 million just to fund the higher National Insurance Contributions it will have to pay for its own staff.

The Council is also setting aside £5.7 million for another round of “pay awards” among Council workers.

Give it to the bin men and the genuine front-liners, but not the overpaid Big Wigs at the top who sit in meetings talking nonsense and never get their hands dirty.