The cumulative effect of increases in council tax for the residents of Cumbria has been an increase of more than 50 per cent in our bills since 1996.

The senior executives of the county council clearly illustrated their contempt for tax payers when they recently awarded themselves huge pay rises, and now they insult us again with a flawed and cynical consultation exercise about the level of future tax increases flawed because of the manner in which it was conducted, and cynical in the way they chose to illustrate the effect by reference to a Band B property when, in the past, the more central Band D has often been used.

The message is obviously that we will pay more and get less - whatever happens.

Bill Inman

Arnside

February 4, 2003 16:30