Lord Downe Father in Law of Robert Hyde of Dinton.

Property Valuation or revaluation has absolutely nothing to do with the total amount of money that Local Councils spend each year. If for an instance a particular house has its valuation halved or even doubled, then in either circumstance, the amount of money the Council needs to spend remains exactly the same. What matters to you or I is what our personal share of that expenditure is.

I make no suggestion that the valuation of anyone’s property, even in these hard times, will be reduced upon revaluation, indeed as those of the Principality discovered , many will find themselves in a higher Tax Band. The fact is that a minority of the population is currently paying far more tax than it should , and does so because the majority is paying less than it should. If your home is banded above ‘D’ then
REVALUATION IS IN YOUR BETTER INTEREST.
If it isn’t ‘wail away.’

That apart the whole system is iniquitous, even the berated ‘Poll Tax’ was a lot fairer than what we have now, but that is a different argument.

UNITARY AUTHORITY ELECTIONS. Soon the Salisbury District Council will follow the former Mere and Tisbury Rural District Council into Oblivion. We will of course have an Election, and many votes will be cast for or against the Councillor elected to the New Unitary Authority, so the very best of luck to him or her.

What is important is that all the Candidates should be fit for purpose; and that none are just ‘happened upon’ on the basis that this that or the other Party Machine had been unable to find anyone else willing to stand. Such Councillorship is a very important, time consuming occupation which like marriage,

‘Therefore is not by any to be enterprised, nor taken in hand unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly, but reverently, discretely, advisedly, soberly.

Wednesday, 25 February 2009.