Lib Dems are only answer to Labour's council tax bombshell

10.38.44am GMT Fri 28th Nov 2008

Councillor Barbara Smith

Writing in the Islington Tribune this week, Canonbury Councillor Barbara Smith warned of a Labour tax bombshell hitting Islington:

Dear sir,

Anyone who remembers the days when Labour ran Islington will, like me, remember that the Labour council was ruinously expensive for Islington residents.

Islington now has the eighth lowest council tax in London. The Liberal Democrats have managed our money carefully, which means we can now afford the major projects local people want and deserve, without feeling the effect in our council tax bills.

But when Labour ran the council, Islington had the very highest council tax in the whole of London, and one of the highest in the country.

In fact, you only have to look across the Haringey or Hackney borders to see that people living under Labour still pay hundreds of pounds more in council tax than Islington residents.

Also, anyone looking at the actual figures can see that when the Tories are in power they are almost as financially irresponsible as Labour.

The Conservative boroughs with higher council tax than Islington are: Bromley, Redbridge, Enfield, Barnet, Bexley, Houslow, Merton, Croydon, Hillingdon, Harrow, and Havering.

And most Tory boroughs increase their council tax, year on year, by far more than Islington - which had a below-inflation rise of only 2.36% again this year.

The Tories have no answers when it comes to keeping tax low, only vague promises and an undeserved reputation - and the Tories haven't even had any councillors in Islington for fifteen years. Only the Lib Dems can beat Labour here, and stop another Labour tax bombshell falling on our borough.

Yours faithfully,

Cllr Barbara Smith (Canonbury Ward)