Interestingly, my council (Medway) has been threatened with
"capping" for its "excessive" Council Tax increase of 5.5%.

It is interesting because:

(a) the government funding settlement is some six million pounds
lower than what Ministers have clearly stated (in writing) should be
our settlement;

(b) they have clawed-back a further million pounds from previous
years' spending (each million pounds in itself represents an
additional 1.3% on our Council Tax);

(c) Ministers' guidance to Medway Council's Leader and Deputy Leader
was that capping rules (which, incidentally, are never revealed
until after decisions have already been taken) would be "similar to
last year's criteria";

(d) Medway's increase last year was 0.2% *higher* than this year's
increase; and

(e) we still have one of the lowest Council Tax rates for any
Unitary Authority in the country, and well under all the other
levels throughout our county of Kent.


The whole thing smells of a deliberate plot, and those in the know
about the situation here will be able to work out why this might be:
it isn't exactly difficult!

Meanwhile, we are appealing against the decision, and the outcome of
this is expect in June or July of this year.

-- 
John M Ward - see http://www.horsted.john-ward.org.uk
Conservative Councillor for Rochester South & Horsted ward, Medway
 * Oppose electoral fraud, especially through postal votes
 * Scrap the ODPM, SEERA, and the Standards Board for England
 * Return all local decisions to local people