Why Darlington Conservatives are running a petition against another council tax rise

Reasons to sign the petition to Darlington Borough Council against another Darlington council tax rise in 2015:

• Council tax has more than doubled in Darlington since 1997.
• Council tax is already the biggest bill most people in Darlington face after their rent or mortgage.
• In the last five years, only 9 councils in the whole country have put up Council Tax more than Labour have put it up in Darlington.
• This 1.99% rise will take council tax for the average Band D home in Darlington above £1,500 a year.

• The rise will cost families in Darlington between £20 and £60 depending on the home they live in.
• The rise will cost Darlington families a total of £760,000 a year.
• If Darlington Council keeps council tax the same, it will receive £380,000 from central government - this is more than half the money that would be achieved with a 1.99% rise, and it would be money from the centre that stayed in the town.
• This 1.99% rise is deliberately chosen to avoid a local vote (all council tax rises of 2% or more have to be approved by local people in a referendum, so inefficient councils hike up their taxes by just under 2% to avoid public scrutiny)
• With elections in Darlington in May anyway, the cost of having a vote on any council tax rise would be tiny - just the cost of printing a few more ballots and counting them.

Sign the petition now - Darlington Borough Council: Vote against another council tax rise

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Having Kevin on the Council wouldn't only help Eastbourne and Firthmoor residents. He would bring so much dynamism and ability to the workings of the Town Hall, and I look forward to working with him if he is elected. You can find out more about Kevin at his home page and his Facebook page.

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I was a proud sponsor of today's Boxing Day Darlington game against Scarborough

It was a great atmosphere and a 3-0 win.