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Real-world decisions
• IT doesn’t seem very long (to me) since the Liberal Democrats were proudly claiming they would put 1p on income tax to pay for better education. I admired them for that.
But now we have the bizarre spectacle of Councillor James Kempton saying that spending money on free school meals is a waste, and freezing the council tax is much more important, even though it’s already a lot lower than in neighbouring boroughs.
But what does he know? He doesn’t have any children, and he certainly knows nothing about being short of money, as he’s taken every opportunity to increase his allowances from the council, maintaining his position as one of the best-paid councillors in Britain.
The argument is that apparently we need to offer more money to attract the “right kind of person” – so Cllr Kempton thinks he is the best person to lead the council, but wouldn’t do it for less than £68,000 a year.
Personally, I would rather have real-world decisions made by people who live in the real world.
STEVE TAYLOR
Dresden Road, N19
• TIM McLoughlin gives credit to Emily Thornberry and other MPs for the recent government decision to halve council rent increases this year, from 6.2 per cent to 3.1 per cent (Free school dinners will offset massive rents rise, March 13).
But it is New Labour’s national rent-setting policy, implemented so obligingly by Islington’s Lib Dems, that has resulted in such sharp council rent increases over the last eight years. Notably, further away from local elections, neither party raised issue about imposing a similarly high 5.7 per cent increase last year.
New Labour’s rent-setting policy is designed to fudge the differences between councils and housing associations by increasing council rents to the higher housing association ones, specifically to encourage more council housing privatisation.
Through linking rents to local property values, it aims to increase rents sufficiently in areas such as Islington to force ordinary working-class people out to make way for more middle-class Tims and Emilys.
On top of this, what New Labour members such as Mr McLoughlin don’t like to let on is that their government is on the take from council tenant rent payments. Effectively, this is an extra tax on ordinary working-class people, which has provided around £3billion for the Treasury since New Labour came to power.
Despite halving the rent increases this year, it will still take about £240million, which is more than it took last year.
If the New Labour government was not on the take from rents, there could be a rent freeze this year. Presumably, this is something that didn’t enter Ms Thornberry’s mind when she was “lobbying” the housing minister.
BEN MACKMURDIE
Independent Working Class Association WC1
• YOU have to admire the sheer front of Labour leader Councillor Catherine West. For the last few months she’s been bleating on about how the council spends too much on communications.
Now she’s complaining in your pages that the council’s resident newsletter doesn’t give her enough credit for the pensioner council tax discount agreed in this year’s budget.
The council’s publications are not allowed, rightly, to mention party politics. How ironic that she complains about communications when it doesn’t mention her or her policies, but when it does she wants more and she wants the council to break the law at the same time.
Like a magpie, she tries to steal the credit for the pensioner discount idea. But this was Councillor Andrew Cornwell’s idea not hers.
CLLR TERRY STACY
Lib Dem deputy council leader
• LABOUR budget priorities for Islington were to cut councillors’ salaries and waste in order to fund free school meals and the £100 rebate.
The Lib Dems’ only priority was to keep their councillor salaries as the highest in the UK. They started out with a 2.5 per cent council tax increase, changed their minds to 0 per cent and changed their minds again just before the meeting to a 1.85 per cent increase.
They actually moved a tax rise in order to win the vote so they could keep their high salaries, and are now trying to pretend they did not support a tax rise simply because they lost.
I voted to cut my salary because I believe value for money is important. Supporting free school meals is more important than lining my own pocket.
CLLR BARRY EDWARDS
Labour, Holloway ward
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