Shifnal mayor 'abused' over council tax hike

A Shropshire mayor claimed he had been abused in the street after a 441 per cent council tax hike. An extraordinary meeting of Shifnal Town Council was called after six councillors published a letter condemning the rise.

It said the decision will add 41p a day to the bills of band D properties and it attacked plans to take on more staff.

Mayor Ron Jowett branded the letter "absolutely disgusting" as the rise was rubber-stamped last night.

But Councillor Gordon Tonkinson, who put together the letter, labelled the meeting a "kangaroo court" as the row continued to simmer.

Councillor Jowett said: "The letter accuses the majority of councillors of being corrupt. We are elected on behalf of the community, it's way out of order to suggest that a meeting to decide the council precept was corrupt, it's absolutely disgusting.

"If we want to have things like the Christmas lights the money has to come from somewhere. Everything we did in regard to setting the council tax precept was done democratically.

"Since the letter was made public members of this council, including myself, have been verbally abused in the street."

Councillor Tonkinson said the public had been misinformed about the tax rise.

He said: "In the letter I did not attack anyone personally."