Scrap the Council Tax!

2.15.24pm GMT Mon 17th Nov 2003

Lib Dems Charles Anglin, Daphne Marchant and Caroline Pidgeon want to see the unfair Council Tax replaced

Vauxhall Lib Dems Parliamentary Spokesman Charles Anglin has launched a campaign to abolish the unfair Council Tax

The council tax is grossly unfair and takes no account of your ability to pay, says Charles Anglin, Parliamentary Spokesman for the Vauxhall Lib Dems. He wants the support of local people as he launches his campaign to abolish it.

At the petition's launch, with Lib Dem London Assembly spokesperson Caroline Pidgeon and fellow Lambeth Lib Dem Cllr. Daphne Marchant, he said,

"Council tax has rocketed in recent years. The Government has made a bad tax worse by under-funding councils and those bearing the brunt in Lambeth are the poorest and the oldest.

The poorest pensioners pay six times the council tax of the richest non-pensioners. And hundreds of millions are tied up in administering it.

Caroline Pidgeon, London Assembly Spokesman is fully backing the campaign, "Local residents can show their anger at this tax by joining me in signing a petition, which will be presented to 10 Downing Street".

She added, "The Lib Dems are the only party currently offering an alternative solution to the council tax. We would like to have a fairer local tax locally, but the Labour Government is unwilling to change the law to allow us to do so."

The petition can be found at www.vauxhall-libdems.org.uk

Ends

Notes to editors -

32 year-old Charles has lived in Lambeth for 9 years and has been a local Lib Dem campaigner throughout that time. He was brought up in south London. Charles has been a councillor in Lambeth since 2002 for the Princes ward, covering Kennington and Vauxhall, and has previously held positions on the Federal Executive and Federal Policy Committee of the national Liberal Democrats. He runs his own PR company, which offers advice to charities and other organizations on how to deal with Government. On the Council Charles has led turn around in the way Lambeth combats crime, restoring relations with the police and coordinating a clampdown on crack houses which has seen the number open fall from 84 to 23, and a 36% fall in street-crime over the same period.

Lambeth Lib Dem Cllr. Daphne Marchant is the council's Executive Member for Older People. She is also heavily involved with the work of Lambeth Pensioner Campaign Groups.