Tories want you to pay more for less – Steve’s latest Croydon Advertiser column

The Government plans to cut £1 out of every £3 in funding for basic services in Croydon. That will be devastating on top of the 40% cut our Council has already suffered since 2010. It puts at risk every basic service the council’s responsible for, including libraries, filling in pot holes, keeping streets clean, emptying bins, providing care for older people, housing the homeless, and tackling crime.

Croydon is being hit much harder by Government cuts than wealthier areas. Surrey Heath is only a few miles away, but while Croydon has seen funding cuts of £390 per household, funding for Surrey Heath has risen by £20 per household. It is deeply unfair that the Government is targeting their axe on Croydon while wealthier areas get more money.

To make matters worse, the Government has told Croydon Council it expects them to put up council tax by nearly 4% every year until 2020. That would mean a 20% council tax hike designed in Downing Street for every Croydon household. But in return, we’d see services close down because the extra money doesn’t make up for the much bigger amount the Government is taking away. That’s the Government’s offer to hard working people across Croydon – pay more but get less in return. It’s simply unacceptable.

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This was published in the Croydon Advertiser on 5th February 2016.