Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Selous Excerpts

Monday 17th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) (Con)]

4. What assessment he has made of the rate of change of council tax over the last 15 years.

[The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Eric Pickles)]

Under the Labour Government, council tax more than doubled. Under this coalition Government, we have frozen council tax, delivering a cut of 4.4% in real terms for hard-working families and pensioners.

[Andrew Selous]

In the last two Parliaments I received many letters from pensioners complaining that their council tax was taking up to a third of their income. Under my right hon. Friend’s policy, I have not received so many letters of that nature. Pensioners and others appreciate the falls in council tax. I thank my right hon. Friend for the fact that, under his policy and the careful stewardship of Central Bedfordshire council and Studham parish council, my own council tax fell this year.

[Mr Pickles]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I suspect his experience is shared by other Members, but I have to tell him that the situation is worse than he thought because, even in opposition, Labour is planning to clobber pensioners. My Department has been almost swamped by demands from Labour councils to have the right to be able to tax pensioners on council tax benefit, as they attempted to tax the poor.