Small Council Tax increase to stop some cuts?

[mart 71]

You've clearly never read a book to a small child.

 

I would bet that such a book or (or many such books per year) when purchased from a book seller would still cost less than a council tax increase.

[Malanimal 10]

Why can you not collect the £31M unpaid council tax?

 

And don't tell me 'it's not that easy'

 

Problem is "it's not that easy" . For small amounts of council tax you would be taking people all the way through the courts, paying baliffs, etc. That's if they haven't moved to another area of the country - tracking them down using agencies and sharing info with other councils.

 

How much does that cost?

 

Pretty soon you are spending as much money chasing people down as you would get back from them. For example, one bloke owed £45 and got sent a council summons that cost £48 to send. What's the point of that?

 

There do seem to be improvements that could be made - a lot of the folks dragged to court last year wondered why they hadn't just been rung up and offered a payment plan

Edited February 26, 2014 by Malanimal

[Akrasia 10]

When was the last time you got a book from a library?

 

I took out five books a couple of weeks ago. And five more a couple of weeks before that. And so on going back for a year or so.

[Cyclone 10]

Libraries provide much more than just books anyway. They provide computers with access to the internet for those who can't afford their own.

They provide a social meeting place for people (only quiet meetings of course) and many lend DVDs and other items alongside books.

[Malanimal 10]

I would bet that such a book or (or many such books per year) when purchased from a book seller would still cost less than a council tax increase.

 

Say £30 council tax increase for the whole year, of which saving Libraries is just a part.

 

We borrow about ten books every month (mostly kids books). So that's one hundred and twenty books a year.

 

I'm a fan of second hand books, but I'd be struggling to get even half that number for £30.

[Cyclone 10]

I skimmed the fairness report, the recommendations sounded like a lot of sky in the pie airy fairy nonsense to be honest.

[Akrasia 10]

I would bet that such a book or (or many such books per year) when purchased from a book seller would still cost less than a council tax increase.

 

Our house is Band A, so a 2% increase in council tax, which would raise double the amount required to keep all of the city's libraries to stay open, would cost us £20.

 

I have a two-year-old who is read three or four books every night at bedtime. Each book gets read lots of times, and we own quite a few books, but we still go to the library to get a new batch of library books every couple of weeks. Each batch of books would cost about £20 new from Amazon.

 

Obviously there's much better value for us in buying books as a community and sharing them. And once our children are no longer using libraries like this, I'll be more than happy to chip in for other people's children to.

[mart 71]

---------- Post added 26-02-2014 at 16:05 ----------

 

[/color]

Say £30 council tax increase for the whole year, of which saving Libraries is just a part.

 

We borrow about ten books every month (mostly kids books). So that's one hundred and twenty books a year.

 

I'm a fan of second hand books, but I'd be struggling to get even half that number for £30.

 

We should respect each other`s situation.

 

In respect of books alone, you use the library 120 times per year more than I do. I am paying for a service that I don`t want or need. For those people that are so keen on libraries, let the libraries go private and pay to use them. Then lower all our council taxes in respect of it. Then let`s see who uses them.

Edited February 26, 2014 by mart

[Akrasia 10]

For those people that are so keen on libraries, let the libraries go private and pay to use them. Then lower all our council taxes in respect of it. Then let`s see who uses them.

 

... and what happens to literacy levels and social mobility.

[mart 71]

Like I explained, pay as you go

Edited February 26, 2014 by mart

[Akrasia 10]

Social mobility in what way?

 

Children with access to books have better life chances. Closing libraries or introducing charges for borrowing restricts access to books to those children whose parents can pay, limiting the life chances of the poorest.

[Malanimal 10]

We should respect each other`s situation.

 

In respect of books alone, you use the library 120 times per year more than I do. I am paying for a service that I don`t want or need.

 

And I probably pay for something you get benefit out of but I don't.

 

If everything is privatised then it's just the money that talks - and I don't think that is fair unless the wages and profits are shared out much more equally than now. The alternative is drawing up a list and spending half our lives arguing over which bit of the Council gets what money. So it's best to elect representatives to do it for us.

 

Of course, the representatives I want might not be the ones you want...