Shifnal pensioner in jail pledge over 548pc council tax rise
Thursday 24th March 2011, 6:46PM GMT.
A disabled pensioner today vowed she would go to prison before paying her council tax – after a Shropshire town council upped her bill by 548 per cent.
Rita Barton, 61, claimed her contribution to Shifnal Town Council would rise from £80.60 in 2010/11 to £441.40 this year.
The town council said the rise was misleading because residents were granted an “unrealistically low precept” last year after cash was left over from an abandoned project.
But Mrs Barton, from Orchard Road in Shifnal, said: “It’s disgusting, I simply won’t be able to afford it and I won’t pay.
“I have liked living here since 1996, but I am serious that I am quite willing to go to prison over this issue.
“I don’t mind going inside for six months – at least everything there would be paid for.”
Mrs Barton, who suffers from degeneration of the spine and osteoporosis, added: “I was flabbergasted when that letter fell through the door, as it means we’ll be paying £5 a month more.
“All other authorities, including Shropshire Council, fire and police, have kept their charges exactly the same so what does Shifnal Town Council want this money for?”
Shifnal Town Council clerk Fiona Thomas said last year’s low bill was a “one-off” as cash was left over from 2009/10, when councillors budgeted for major repairs at Shifnal’s crumbling former Magistrates’ Court building. The work was eventually not carried out.
Mrs Thomas said: “The reality of the figures needs to be looked at in order to gain a true and informed understanding of the situation.
“Shifnal Town Council has a responsibility to precept realistically and effectively for its areas of responsibility and for the services it delivers to the community. Having undertaken a review of operations and future requirements, the council is endeavouring to promote sustainability and responsiveness within the area of service delivery.”
She added the town council was taking on increasing responsibilities this year, including refurbishing town toilets and managing volunteers, street trading, CCTV, cemeteries, Christmas lights, three car parks and two allotments sites.
l Soars — See Page 23
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I think the Shropshire Star should organise a few Maths lessons for its reporters!
It should be 448%
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So would you like a room over looking the river or the railway station?
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I do hate the way you’ve used the words ‘disabled’ and ‘pensioner’ to try and draw sympathy. It doesn’t. She has had her explaination from the council and a good one at that.
I don’t know where she got an extra £5 a month from but anyway, if the council can make deductions from people’s salaries, let’s hope they can do it with her pension.
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I’ll bet she wasn’t whining last year when she had the extraordinarily low bill because the council were fair enough to pay back surplus income.
I hope Shifnal Council stick to their guns and enforce payment.
We are all bearing the burden of the recession Mrs BARTON, and that includes you.
Pay up and stop wasting everyone’s time.
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My last annual council tax bill was over £900. Rita Barton should be glad that Shifnal council passed the savings onto her last year!
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If Rita Barton owns her own home, it is highly unlikely that she will go to prison. I am a member of the Isitfair Campaign and several of our members were jailed in the past for non payment of as little as £58. When the photograph of Richard Fitzmaurice in handcuffs, was on the front page of most of the nationals, the Giovernment said that pensioners would not be sent to prison. If they owned their home, a charge would be put on the property. This meant that the council tax (with heavy interest) would be reclaimed when the property was sold or the occupant died.
This year, there have been some horrendous rises in the parish or town precepts across the country. The Government decided that the town and parish precepts would not be ‘capped’ nor included in the freeze as other councils. Parish and town councils do not receive a grant from Government, but receive funding from other councils and by setting their own precept. What is happening across the country is that districts and counties, to comply with the freeze, are pushing unfunded services on to these councils. The Government has said that they will watch what happens to these councils and what we have feared all along (and made clear to Eric Pickles) has happened. Will they do anything about it? Perhaps for the future, but I can’t see it happening this year. Smoke and mirrors my friends, smoke and mirrors. When is a rise not a rise?
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I think last year’s precept was exceptionally low due to a refund for them overcharging on previous years.
It would be interesting to know what we were charged in the previous few years.
If the council had kept the precept high last year, nobody would be grumbling now.
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Council tax is the only tax which takes no account of ability to pay. You are not expected to pay income tax until your income rises above a certain level. All other taxes like VAT, Fuel Duty, etc, come from disposable income and are hence optional. But everybody has to live somewhere and Council tax falls without fear or favour on the poorest. The liberal Democrats pledged to abolish it, but that’s all forgotten now they are in bed with the Tories.
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Kind of….it’s levied on the value of your house, therefore the logic being that if you can afford the house you can afford the tax on said abode….
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Oh dear, she really hasn’t come to the right place for sympathy. Cue the sarcastic remarks…
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Not sarcasm, an acceptance that you have to pay your way in this world.
I am a pensioner, I too have a disability, the only reason this has been leaked to the media is in the hope that some good samaritan aka mug will cough up the dosh.
Better get saving Rita.
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From the Shropshire Star
Shropshire’s towns and parishes could help ease funding cuts
Thursday 22nd July 2010, 1:27PM BST.
Shropshire’s town and parish councils could help to soften the blow of millions of pounds of funding cuts which are due to impact on the county soon, the Shirehall cabinet was told.
The issue was raised as members considered a budget report warning that Shropshire Council faces cuts of at least £47 million in the next three years.
And the Government has said there must be no council tax increases next year which the council had expected would net it an extra £3.2 million.
Alan Mosley, leader of the Labour opposition group, was critical that the authority could not raise cash through a “moderate” tax rise.
He suggested that during budget consultations people should be asked if they were willing to pay moderate increases to help protect services and the Government told if they were in favour.
But council leader Keith Barrow said the people of Shropshire deserved zero council tax increases and that was why they had voted for a Conservative administration at the Shirehall.
He said the council was under financial pressure because of the policies of the previous Labour Government.
Councillor Martin Taylor-Smith said the freeze on council tax didn’t extended to town and parish councils and they would have the chance to increase local precepts to enhance services.
He asked if, for example, Shropshire Council should be providing public toilets or was this something town councils could do.
And if towns and parishes wanted community waste skips, there was nothing to stop them providing these through their own precepts.
Councillor Mosley replied: “You are passing the buck.”
Lib Dem leader, Nigel Hartin, urged that the council “consult properly” with service users.
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Does the Town Clerk really think the people of Shifnal are that naive that they do not know this is a tax on every household within the town to replenish the councils coffers from its expensive and ill advised legal battle last year, and to pay the salaries of the ever growing number of clerical staff it now seems to take to administer a small town Council.
As a Voter of this Town I know what I shall be doing the next time there is an Election for a Councillor looking to see who voted for this massive increase and making my protest with my vote
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“this is a tax on every household within the town ”
People are all too quick to take if it’s being handed out, when the chips are down and it’s time to pay people seem to think that it should apply to everyone except little old me.
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I think the Town Clerk is doing the job she is paid to do and representing the Council. Are you suggesting that she is lying? I think you should take the time to look into your accusation and you will find that the tribunal costs were in the region of £20,000 and that this was taken from what the Council calls it reserves fund so the bill was not past onto the people of Shifnal via this year’s precept. From what I’ve read the legal battle was not ill advised and had the Council settled out of Court the bill would have been far more. Of course you could say that it shouldn’t have happened and that may be fair comment, however these issues affect Councils and organisations up and down the country everyday – are any of us ever in full possession of the facts to enable us to take a rational, fully informed view? I doubt it and I for one would rather shut up than speak on a matter I know little about. As for the staff salaries, for me the Council has done nothing before but cut a bit of grass for decades in parks I don’t use and paid for the car parking (which I also don’t use) which lets face it benefits a few residents but is more of benefit to the local businesses – do they pay? At least the Council are planning for the future of Shifnal. Shifnal isn’t a small town and it certainly isn’t a parish and its growing – have you read the development plan? It is actually classed as a larger town and therefore is a larger town council. If it suits you to slate those who want better for Shifnal than what has been had in the past then carry on mate. I think the Council should be congratulated for pulling itself out of the pit it was in and the Councillors leading this should be proud of their vision in putting things right.
So protest away with your vote at the next election but make sure that you are wise in your choice of candidate and that you fully understand what it is that they will bring to the table in terms of experience because if you don’t Shifnal Town Council could find itself once again giving questionable value for money instead of delivering professional services to the community – oh but then you don’t want that do you… you like it in the dark ages.
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what was the bill the year before last years ridiculously low bill and where did she find the money for that? Typical council though, this could have been a good news story (ie: last years really low bill) but it’s spun into a bad news story due to the relativity of the really low bill and the regular one
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Yep I agree with that – Shifnal Town Council missed an opportunity last year to blow its own trumpet in terms of paying back the community for they money they precepted but didn’t spend… the only issue I have with the Council at the moment is that some Councillors need training in the democratic process and need lessons in accepting defeat gracefully!
Ron Jowett needs to sort it out!
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