Taxing times for Labour

Council tax bills are set to rise again next year all over Sussex by around seven per cent, well above the current inflation level.

When Labour came into office two and a half years ago, it pledged to keep income tax levels down or even reduce them, which it has done.

But there is some truth in the charge by Tories that the Government is increasing tax by stealth.

There have been steep rises in council tax in the last two years and it's clear this will continue.

However much local councillors like to say they're in charge, the truth is that when it comes to local taxation, it's the level of Government subsidy that counts.

Although the council tax is fairer than the hated poll tax, large rises can still cause problems for many people, particularly in low-wage towns such as Brighton and Hove.

This form of back-door taxation, putting public blame on local authorities, isn't fair and it's time Tony Blair was told so.

Insulting offer

Pensioner Stan Carey is worried sick every time it rains, and who can blame him.

In August his garden at Patcham, which is his pride and joy, was wrecked after measures taken to prevent flooding from the nearby Brighton bypass during deluges failed abysmally.

All the Highways Agency was prepared to offer Stan was £200 for flooding that was clearly their fault.

Stan says it's an insult and he's right. The agency needs to offer him more cash and sort out the problem urgently so that the garden's not ruined again.

Horse sense

For centuries, sheep kept the springy turf of the Sussex Downs in good order.

But now, Exmoor ponies are being brought on to the Downs to get rid of alien Tor grass.

If the ponies do their job properly, they'll be a welcome import from the west country.

But if they prove useless, the Sussex Downs Conservation Board will be feeling a bit sheepish.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.