The Water Rates Element of Council Tax
The SNP have carried out their promise to freeze council tax.This has brought some relief to many pensioner and other low income households.However, it is well worth drawing to everyone's attention the fact that the water rates element of our council tax bill has continued to rise despite the council tax freeze.
OK so this only amounts to about £16 per annum in a Band E house but where on earth can a pensioner who has been means tested find the £463.87 in water rate charges when they have been assessed as qualifying for full pension credits? This is an absurd situation and after I drew Jack McConnell's attention to this at First Minister's Question Time in Holyrood in 2006, he promised to look into it and he was as good as his word because the Labour Party promised to do away with the water rates element of council tax for pensioner households in their 2007 election manifesto.Alex Salmond now has some work to do to equal this promise because under his watch all pensioner households are worse off with this increase in the water rates element of their council tax when this bill pops through their letterbox.
OK so this only amounts to about £16 per annum in a Band E house but where on earth can a pensioner who has been means tested find the £463.87 in water rate charges when they have been assessed as qualifying for full pension credits? This is an absurd situation and after I drew Jack McConnell's attention to this at First Minister's Question Time in Holyrood in 2006, he promised to look into it and he was as good as his word because the Labour Party promised to do away with the water rates element of council tax for pensioner households in their 2007 election manifesto.Alex Salmond now has some work to do to equal this promise because under his watch all pensioner households are worse off with this increase in the water rates element of their council tax when this bill pops through their letterbox.
Today's Senior Issues...as simple as ABC
A: A weekly state pension of £180, payable to everyone retiring at
65. There should of course be residency requirements; but no
discrimination against women who have chosen to stay at home to
bring up children.
B: Abolish means-testing, (it’s offensive and intrusive).
C: Retired people from the age of 65 should pay only 50% of
council tax, and we should end the disgrace of selling
peoples’ homes to pay for residential care.
Don’t be fooled by those who say the country can’t afford it. The facts are that Britain currently spends around 6% of GDP on state pensions; whereas comparable European countries expend from 9 to 15% of their economies on their pensioners. Even after our proposed increases, Britain would still be near bottom of the league in Europe.
We need to ACT NOW and lobby our elected representatives in local and national government to address the concerns of senior citizens all over our country.
Details of elected representatives for every Scottish Region can be found on our Regional Areas web-pages.
Write to them........Phone them....... E-mail them....Lobby them.
Issues that concern us need to be raised with them!!!
THEY are the ones who can make a difference.
WE need to encourage THEM to do so!!