Give us local tax powers Brighton and Hove Green leader urges Government

9:30am Monday 25th February 2013 in News

A council chief has called for Government to give town halls greater powers including setting “local” taxes.

Brighton and Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat made the comments to fellow Green Party members at its conference in Nottingham.

The gathering marked 40 years since the party was formed.

In his speech to delegates, Coun Kitcat, who is the only leader of a Green-run council in the country, called for “true local taxation” which he believed would give communities power to protect residents from “mad austerity measures”.

Coun Kitcat said: “I think councils need to be more self-confident, more bold and demand local freedoms.

“But we need to remember that we exist in a context far beyond our control.

“As long as Government can re-write the rule book on a whim it’s always going to be difficult.”

It comes just days before the minority administration’s budget is voted on by all 54 members of the local authority.

At the cornerstone of the £750 million spending plans is a council tax rise of about 2%.

In summing up, Coun Kitcat said: “Being in charge of an administration of a council is like being captain of a ship. We cannot control the waters ahead, but we must complete the journey safely transporting all.”

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Comments(26)

qm says...
9:42am Mon 25 Feb 13

In summing up, Coun Kitcat said: “Being in charge of an administration of a council is like being captain of a ship. We cannot control the waters ahead, but we must complete the journey safely transporting all.”

Could begin by learning to control a dinghy, before it gets wet!

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pperrin says...
9:43am Mon 25 Feb 13

> protect residents from “mad austerity . > measures”.

By taking more money off them directly?

Now that is truly mad thinking...

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bikerjimbo says...
10:06am Mon 25 Feb 13

I'm surprised there are only 2 comments so far. This guy is crazy and obviously wants to fleece us locally for more green mad cap ideas. Imagine how powerful he would feel not having to cap his spending without some goverment control, which is why the control is there. I guess we should all buy life jackets!!

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Old Ale Man says...
10:13am Mon 25 Feb 13

Cannot control the waters Jason? That sounds like a quote from the captain of the Titanic.

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Indigatio says...
10:15am Mon 25 Feb 13

To use a well known phrase - "What a Plonker!"

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taman says...
10:15am Mon 25 Feb 13

I'm surprised there are only 2 comments so far. This guy is crazy and obviously wants to fleece us locally for more green mad cap ideas. Imagine how powerful he would feel not having to cap his spending without some goverment control, which is why the control is there. I guess we should all buy life jackets!!”

they are getting arround govenment control by fleecing us with a 1.99 percent council tax hike this year hence denying us all a local referendum... shamefull

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Jimmy Stewart's Imaginary Rabbit says...
10:25am Mon 25 Feb 13

Greens demonstrating (again) that financially they're self-centered Tories at heart. It's a great idea for affluent areas like Brighton who can afford higher local taxes to fund local services - not so good for councils in poorer working class areas who need central funds and couldn't raise all their budget from their residents.

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Hove Actually says...
10:27am Mon 25 Feb 13

Women & Children First............

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AmboGuy says...
11:11am Mon 25 Feb 13

Kitcat's ego is now huge and his feelings of self importance are now in danger of expanding to astronomical proportions.

Get this fool out of Brighton.

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Plantpot says...
11:21am Mon 25 Feb 13

It's council's like the Greens and the Liverpool Labour nutters of a few years ago delivering redundancy notices by taxi that ensure that only minimum powers will ever be given to local control. And certainly not taxing people.

If the Greens are so sure that raising council tax is such a good idea, they should be able to get a majority to go with them. So why not have a referendum?

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RottingdeanRant says...
11:49am Mon 25 Feb 13

Quote 'Coun Kitcat, who is the only leader of a Green-run council in the country, called for “true local taxation” which he believed would give communities power to protect residents from “mad austerity measures”.”

But it would not protect us from the Mad spending measures of the Greens and their ilk.

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george smith says...
12:32pm Mon 25 Feb 13

More like a pirate than a ships captain.

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mnairb says...
1:07pm Mon 25 Feb 13

I find it difficult to accept that the 'cash strapped' council is having to put Council Tax up 2% to 'protect fronline services' when I've watched them in the last week busy widening pavements in Ethel Street and Goldstone Villas. Obviously someone has got a chunk of budget that they need to spend before the end of the financial year, prior to stinging us for more money next year.

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Bob_The_Ferret says...
1:12pm Mon 25 Feb 13

And this is precisely why these marxists should never be allowed in power again.

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mimseycal says...
2:07pm Mon 25 Feb 13

The Green Party is not celebrating its 40 years of existence. Forty years ago, 1972/3, the PEOPLE party was started by a group of four professional friends in Coventry (Lesley & Tony Whittaker, Michael Benfield and Freda Sanders).

It next elected to rename itself The Ecology Party (1975–1985) which was followed by Green Party (UK), 1985–1990s when the Scottish and Northern Ireland wings of the Green Party in the United Kingdom decided to separate from the party in England and Wales; forming the Scottish Green Party and the Green Party in Northern Ireland. The Wales Green Party became an autonomous regional party and remained within the new Green Party of England and Wales.

By a timely introduction of the 'Campaign for Real Democracy' they were able to take part in the anti-Poll Tax campaign (1989). Ludicrous really when you think about them now hiking up the charge by 1.99%.

But then again, this is the Greens and neither rhyme, reason nor practicality are part of the deal.

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salty_pete says...
2:34pm Mon 25 Feb 13

Putting all the local issues we have with the Greens to one side, he does have a point. For all those who have been to the USA, a local tax between about 2% and 4% is charged on all transactions, a bit like local VAT. I doubt if local authorities there get any central funding. If the democracy in the USA uses locally collected tax, it does set a mighty precedent.

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upsidedowntuctuc says...
3:18pm Mon 25 Feb 13

OMG these idiots are bad enough with what they squeeze out of us at the moment and are determined to destroy the life blood of the City by stopping anyone coming in by car Give him more money? Only for a one way ticket to his brethren in North Korea!

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mimseycal says...
3:39pm Mon 25 Feb 13

salty_pete wrote:
Putting all the local issues we have with the Greens to one side, he does have a point. For all those who have been to the USA, a local tax between about 2% and 4% is charged on all transactions, a bit like local VAT. I doubt if local authorities there get any central funding. If the democracy in the USA uses locally collected tax, it does set a mighty precedent.
We pay a charge on all transactions as well. Between 5%-20% value added tax on all transactions.

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Fairfax Sakes says...
3:45pm Mon 25 Feb 13

"Gee, Brain, what do you want to do tonight?"

"The same thing we do every night, Pinky—try to take over the world!"

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Maximus Of The North says...
4:19pm Mon 25 Feb 13

Yep lets put up council tax and yet blow all the money raised by wasting it on stupid green hairbrain schemes.

It sounds so comical if he wasn't so downright dangerous towards the future of this great city.

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Morpheus says...
4:25pm Mon 25 Feb 13

"we exist in a context far beyond our control" in other words "we are totally out of control now". Who votes for these idiots, and many of the others?

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jamesbandenburg says...
6:10pm Mon 25 Feb 13

Let me guess - cars will incur road tax of £350 per mile?

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Resident in Hanover says...
9:12pm Mon 25 Feb 13

Coun Kitcat said: “I think councils need to be more self-confident, more bold and demand local freedoms.

As long as Government can re-write the rule book on a whim it’s always going to be difficult.”

Perhaps Kitty Cat, you'd respect the residents in Hanover rather than "re-write the rule book" and ignore our petition votes against bins and so afford "local freedoms"?

No?

Thought not...

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nocando says...
9:26pm Mon 25 Feb 13

They'd happly screw us for an arm, leg and a kidney too. How do we get rid of these people?

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Resident in Hanover says...
10:24pm Mon 25 Feb 13

nocando wrote:
They'd happly screw us for an arm, leg and a kidney too. How do we get rid of these people?
open a vote of no confidence

it can be done via the council webiste. Start a petition, if enough people sign up, it has to be discussed

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Maxwell's Ghost says...
6:50am Tue 26 Feb 13

I wouldn't give Jason the school guinea pig to look after.
His dad would have to supervise.

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