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Stop sending our cash to Brussels - buy grit instead!
THERE has been much discussion about the recent bad weather. The main roads were well gritted, while minor roads and housing estates were untouched and grit bins left empty.
There were falls and injuries, damage to vehicles, villages cut off, refuse wagons unable to collect rubbish and the elderly housebound for weeks.
It appears we must accept that as long as the main highways are passable, every other road can be forgotten about.
I thought part of our Council Tax was paid so local councils could provide services to combat severe weather conditions. Upon investigation, it appears not.
Firstly, our local councils have little influence in how they spend our money. The Government decided to dictate who could have grit. Even forward-thinking councils that ordered surplus supplies could not use it, as the Government commandeered amounts of grit for councils that had not been so forward-thinking.
It gets worse. Ribble Valley Borough Council collects out Council Tax and distributes some of it to Lancashire County Council, Lancashire Police and Lancashire Fire Authority. Unfortunately, only part of our money goes to these services. Twenty-five per cent of our council taxes are taken to fund town hall pensions and 33% is sent to the North West Regional Assembly. They in turn forward the money to the European Union, in Brussels. So 58% of our money is not retained in the Ribble Valley for the services we think we are paying for.
That is why councils are forced to cut budgets. Not only have gritting services been reduced, but we have seen our roads deteriorate and vast cuts in policing.
How can we spend in these areas when our money is sent to Brussels, or spent on other people's pensions?
Private sector employees are struggling to achieve a pension of any worth due to companies abandoning schemes that are too expensive to administer. Within personal pensions the recent poor investment returns have severely reduced their value.
Over the past 11 years council taxes have increased by 84%. In 1998 a Band D property was paying 798, while it would currently be charged at 1,469.20. I will let you decide if we are seeing value for money!
Regional assemblies were set up in the 1990s and currently cost the taxpayer 360m. a year. We are part of the North West Assembly, named "4NW", which is involved with planning, housing and transport and employs 33 people, who are also entitled to a local government pension.
To understand the North West Regional Assembly's role, visit: www.4nw.org.uk. Further information about Regional Assemblies is available online at www.regionalassemblies.co.uk or at www.tpuc.org
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Weather for Clitheroe
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -2 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North
