Gordon Browns Stockport Funding Gap Scandal

10.37.01pm GMT Thu 18th Jan 2007

Paul Moss outside a closed Post Office in Stockport ( Another Labour legacy in Stockport )

The Average Local Authority in England receives around 75% of its funding from a government grant with the remainder coming from the council taxpayer .

This year the average increase in funding from central government to allow for increased costs for all English authorities is 3.75%.

Stockports increase is just 3.21% a critical half percent less !

In Order to understand the impact of these figures. Its useful to convert this government funding to an amount per head of population.

In Stockports case this is £258 per head - the lowest in Greater Manchester.

In stark contrast , the residents of Manchester City receive £691 per head more than two and half times as much.

Put Simply - How can a Manchester resident be worth two and half times the worth of a Stockport resident ?

It is blantantly obvious the current system of funding local authorities is unfair .

Lib Dems in Stockport argue for the unfair council tax system to be replaced with a local income tax , based on ability to pay and not on the value of your house.

Paul Moss

Vice Chair Stockport Liberal Democrats