Despite painting a large red 'X' on the front door and draping strings of garlic over the back door, not to mention leaving a few blood stained wooden stakes around the place, I still failed to stop the dreaded council tax bill from getting in. There it was, in it's murky brown envelope, lying on the mat waiting to be opened. I picked it up, put it on the desk, and left it there unopened. Well, I wasn't going to spoil my breakfast. When I finally decided to open it I immediately went in to my 'grumpy old man' mode and started my annual rant about North Kesteven District Council. Like, why does it cost over £1,300 a year just to empty the garbage bins? We don't have street lighting, we don't even have a footpath, what does the council spend my money on? Apart from gilt-edge staff pension funds and junkets for senior management. Having calmed down, I took the little book that comes with the Council Tax bill, and went to put it in the recycling bin. Then I did something I have never done before, instead of binning it I decided to read it. Strange thing to do, after all nobody ever reads those little books, do they? Surprisingly, I'm glad I did, it made me look at council tax in a whole different light. Let's look at the facts. I was informed by a pie-chart, that looked like a smilie with a hat on, that in fact poor old North Kesteven District Council, who collect the tax, only get to keep 9.4% of the total. 4.2% goes to Parish/Town Councils, the Police Authority get 12.4% and a whopping 73.9% goes to Lincolnshire County Council. The average household in North Kesteven pays just over £11 per month for all of the District Council services. For this the District Council provide, rubbish/recycling collection, public health complaints, restaurants, pubs and take-aways inspection, council housing, council tax and housing benefits, tourist attractions, planning and building control, community safety, free bus travel for over 60's, community access points, rate relief to organisations and business and so on. Services provided by Lincolnshire County Council include education and care for children and young people, waste recycling centres, trading standards, maintenance of 5,600 miles of roads plus cycleways and footpaths, road safety, public transport, jobs creation, direct payment support, and carers. Learning, culture and entertainment through libraries and museums. Add to all this the fire service and working in partnership to tackle crime and disorder, anti-social behaviour and substance misuse. The money paid to the Police Authority provides a police presence in the community and a communications and back-up service that allows us to feel relatively safe in an age of rising crime and violence. Current staff numbers are 1,188 Police Officers, 935 Police Staff and 149 Police Community Support Officers (PCSO's). Obviously, not every member of the community benefit from all the services provided, but the structure is in place to help every member of community if and when required. For me, one thing has become clear, I get a lot more for my money than just getting my bins emptied. As they say it always pays to read the label.
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Always Read The Label First
Despite painting a large red 'X' on the front door and draping strings of garlic over the back door, not to mention leaving a few blood stained wooden stakes around the place, I still failed to stop the dreaded council tax bill from getting in. There it was, in it's murky brown envelope, lying on the mat waiting to be opened. I picked it up, put it on the desk, and left it there unopened. Well, I wasn't going to spoil my breakfast. When I finally decided to open it I immediately went in to my 'grumpy old man' mode and started my annual rant about North Kesteven District Council. Like, why does it cost over £1,300 a year just to empty the garbage bins? We don't have street lighting, we don't even have a footpath, what does the council spend my money on? Apart from gilt-edge staff pension funds and junkets for senior management. Having calmed down, I took the little book that comes with the Council Tax bill, and went to put it in the recycling bin. Then I did something I have never done before, instead of binning it I decided to read it. Strange thing to do, after all nobody ever reads those little books, do they? Surprisingly, I'm glad I did, it made me look at council tax in a whole different light. Let's look at the facts. I was informed by a pie-chart, that looked like a smilie with a hat on, that in fact poor old North Kesteven District Council, who collect the tax, only get to keep 9.4% of the total. 4.2% goes to Parish/Town Councils, the Police Authority get 12.4% and a whopping 73.9% goes to Lincolnshire County Council. The average household in North Kesteven pays just over £11 per month for all of the District Council services. For this the District Council provide, rubbish/recycling collection, public health complaints, restaurants, pubs and take-aways inspection, council housing, council tax and housing benefits, tourist attractions, planning and building control, community safety, free bus travel for over 60's, community access points, rate relief to organisations and business and so on. Services provided by Lincolnshire County Council include education and care for children and young people, waste recycling centres, trading standards, maintenance of 5,600 miles of roads plus cycleways and footpaths, road safety, public transport, jobs creation, direct payment support, and carers. Learning, culture and entertainment through libraries and museums. Add to all this the fire service and working in partnership to tackle crime and disorder, anti-social behaviour and substance misuse. The money paid to the Police Authority provides a police presence in the community and a communications and back-up service that allows us to feel relatively safe in an age of rising crime and violence. Current staff numbers are 1,188 Police Officers, 935 Police Staff and 149 Police Community Support Officers (PCSO's). Obviously, not every member of the community benefit from all the services provided, but the structure is in place to help every member of community if and when required. For me, one thing has become clear, I get a lot more for my money than just getting my bins emptied. As they say it always pays to read the label.
