Blair's Mayor Needs Gobstopper Not Walnut Whip As Mayor's Council Tax Rises 7.5%

11.39.56am GMT Fri 20th Feb 2004

Commenting on the final Budget announcement for the GLA which has seen only the Labour Assembly Members vote for the inflation busting 7.5% increase in Council Tax, Liberal Democrat Mayoral candidate Simon Hughes called for Mr Livingstone to rethink his plans and reduce his increase in Council Tax from the price of a Walnut Whip to the price of a Gobstopper.

The Liberal Democrats have proposed just a 2.7% rise on current levels - equivalent to just 11 pence per week rather than the current 7.5% or 33p a week increase adopted by Labour Party.

Simon Hughes said:- "It is time Blair's Mayor stopped looking at Walnut Whips and started looking at Gobstoppers. His 'I spend now, you pay later' proposals are leaving Londoners smarting from yet another big rise in their Council Tax."

"It is scandalous that despite only one-third of the Assembly agreeing to Mr Livingstone's tax hike, his inflation busting increase was still forced through."

"Ken Livingstone has now doubled his chunk of Council Tax since he came to power. It is time that he stopped throwing around other people's cash and started to offer real value for money to the taxpayers of London."

ENDS

Presenting his plans to the London Assembly on the 28th January 2004, the mayor said the increase was a small amount, and compared it to the cost of a walnut whip.