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A Fairer Deal
Adam Symons, Torridge District Councillor
The question must be asked of us as politicians is ‘What
are we fighting for?’ What is it that puts our
careers on the line, and our beliefs in the spotlight?
Well, for me, the belief that a fairer, freer and more open society will lead
to benefits for us all, keeps me going. The idea that by highlighting
injustices, and promoting cooperation we can help everyone to lead happier and
more fulfilling lives, is one that keeps me awake sometimes at night.
More importantly, I see that very injustice in the Torridge area. Having been
born and brought up hear, I can see the way in which successive Government’s
policies have succeeded only in keeping the area down. Successive changes to
taxation and the way in which local tax is raised, have been progressively
reducing the available income to Torridge residents.
I will illustrate this through the issue of Income Tax. Various Governments
have trumpeted the reduction of income tax rates, but for Torridge, which is a
very low paid area, reducing income tax rates often provides little benefits. If
you only earn £10,000 a year, a penny off income tax makes little difference. The way to help low wage areas is to increase the level at which tax kicks in,
giving more money back to local economies with low wages.
The same is true for Council Tax. Although the level of tax is similar to
areas in places like the Midlands and South-east, the actual impacts on
households is much more severe. If you only earn £20,000 as a family per year, a
£1,500 Council Tax bill is quite a chunk of your earnings!
So how to we change this? Well, we must continue to bang the table for a
fairer deal from Government for our area. It has also been mentioned that we
need to encourage people to apply for benefits where they are due – this will
help to bring money into the local economy.
Perhaps most importantly, we can actively drive forward our own economy,
through lifting the aspirations of young people, encouraging people with skills
into the area, and providing education and employment opportunities for local
people. We must support the redevelopment of Bideford College, so that it
provides good practical and academic opportunities. I have a vision that
Torridge will also one day have a University here – one which champions the
strengths of our area: farming, marine biology, renewable energy, sustainable
tourism. Now that is something to aspire to!
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