FOREWORD
by Chris Leslie MP,
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of StateLegally and politically, councillors take final decisions on their budget and spending priorities, however, they are accountable to their electorate for the hard choices they have to make each year. The feedback you receive from consultation will inform your decision-making not replace it. How councils have engaged their taxpayers on these decisions will form part of their overall Performance Assessment.
Engaging the public on council tax is genuine consultation. Some argue that if consulted on tax decisions, people will always opt for the lowest tax option. However, evidence from Milton Keynes and the United States at state level demonstrates that the lowest tax option will not always be the most favoured.
I recognise that consulting the public on council tax is difficult – this guide seeks to address those difficulties. These guidelines focus specifically on the needs of local authorities and tackle the perceived barriers to effective consultation. Drawing on the experience of local government to date, this guide provides practical, researched advice on developing a strategy, choosing a consultation method, coming to a judgement and providing feedback to taxpayers.
I would like to thank the Local Government Association and representatives from local authorities for their valuable assistance in steering production of these guidelines. I would also like to thank those councils who have provided practical case study material and feedback on the lessons they have learned.
Chris Leslie MP
Published 4 July 2002
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