The Mayoral tax ‘debate’.
from the Boris Johnson campaign HQ:
The so-called tax debate of recent weeks must be kept in perspective.
Today, the national media are focusing on what disclosure means for the future direction of British politics and others are saying that it is a sideshow – just politicians spatting. These claims may serve Ken Livingstone’s purpose but they miss the point.
The real issue is not about someone’s income or even how much tax they pay in absolute terms.
Everyone has the right to be successful and to organise their tax affairs within the law.
The significance of this week’s debate over the candidates tax affairs is this:
- It is about trust and hypocrisy.
- It is about Ken Livingstone saying one thing and doing another.
- It is about Ken saying in the Sun newspaper in 2009 that people who avoid paying their full share of tax are “rich bastards” who exploited “every tax fiddle” and who “should NOT be allowed to vote in a British election, let alone sit in Parliament, unless they pay their full share of tax.”
Now Ken has been forced to admit that for years he has employed exactly the same tax minimisation strategies himself. The most extreme of which were in place while he was standing for election, and indeed, whilst he was calling for the top rate of income tax to be raised to 80%.
When challenged previously about this, he responded by claiming his critics were out to ‘smear’ him.
But now Mr Livingstone’s own figures show that by registering himself as a company, he has enabled the majority of his income to be earned at a lower rate of tax.
Analysis suggests he has arranged his affairs to create an effective rate of tax that could be just 14.5%. The very same thing he attacks others for doing.
On Newsnight on Wednesday 4th April, Ken Livingstone agreed with all the main candidates to release all his income and tax details. The next day he first refused to honour that promise made on national TV. He then, when there was no other option and Boris Johnson had released all of his details, only released part details. Even these part details revealed that he had avoided tax by paying himself dividends rather than just a wage.
The public still cannot get a true picture of his finances but his hypocrisy is very clear.
He owes Boris Johnson an apology for falsely claiming that Boris had the same financial arrangements as he did when he knew this was not so.
And he owes the people of London an apology for saying on Newsnight that he would release full details on his earnings and tax, but not doing so.
Ken Livingstone has shown time and again that he says one thing but does another.
Now that he has been exposed for doing the very thing he strongly criticised others for doing, he has lost all credibility and anything else he says in this election simply cannot be trusted.
Once and for all Ken Livingstone has proven why he cannot be trusted to be back in charge of our great city.
Out of gas?
There can be little doubt that the comments of Ministers, including our very own Environment Secretary, Ed Davey, have helped to cause panic buying at the pumps.
Passing the Ace of Spades Shell station at just after 9.30 last night I couldn’t help noticing the emptiness of the forecourt and the tags over the pump handles – the obvious consequence of the very brisk trade earlier in the day. Friends report similar situations all over Surbiton, Tolworth and Chessington.
It looks as though the threat of a strike has receded, so I hope that residents will not heed the rather silly advice to keep a jerry can of petrol at home, unless they have a very safe and remote outhouse to keep it in and unless they are accustomed to working with highly inflammable substances.
Value from the Olympics
From Boris Johnson:-
Dear Paul,
Today I’m launching my Olympics manifesto and I wanted you to be one of the first to read it.
This year the capital will experience a summer like no other.
London will become the first city in history to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games three times. It is also the first host city in history to finish building the Olympic stadium a year early – not just ahead of time, but under budget.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games are about far more than just six weeks of amazing sport. I have worked to ensure they will lead to lasting economic, social and sporting benefits for London. I have ensured that these are the first Games where a host city has been building in the legacy from the beginning.
However, seven years ago we may have won the Games, but there was a real risk the opportunity they present would be squandered. Costs had quadrupled. There was no legacy plan. Taxpayers’ money was being wasted on unnecessary venues which would have become white elephants, while great venues across the capital were being under-utilised or ignored.
I have worked with the Olympic authorities to turn this around. I have co-chaired the Olympic Board, overseeing the entire project. I promised to keep costs low, and the Games will not cost London council taxpayers a penny more than pledged. I scrapped unnecessary new venues and used existing venues across the capital, saving tens of millions of pounds and ensuring all parts of London feel part of the Games. I put in place a credible legacy plan, creating thousands of jobs, ensuring a major economic boost to the capital.
I will go further:
- I will guarantee that the Olympic Legacy does not cost Londoners a penny more on their council tax.
- I will also ensure absolute transparency as the legacy plans transfer to the Mayor, requiring all expenditure to be published so Londoners know how money is being spent.
- I will make sure that after the closing ceremony all Londoners continue to benefit from the hard work and investment of the last four years. That is why, using new powers secured from the Government, I have set up a new Mayoral Development Corporation to take responsibility for the Olympic Park. This will reduce the number of bodies involved, bringing focus and safeguarding the economic legacy of the Games by implementing our detailed plans to build 11,000 new homes and create 10,000 new jobs.
- I will use my good strong relations with the businesses community to make use of the Games venues with strong interest in taking on some of the venues, including the Olympic Stadium.
- And I will explore creating a new science institute in the Olympic Park, to boost London’s hi-tech economy, including lobbying for the proposed Cell Therapy Technology and Innovation Centre to be located there.
We have made progress despite difficult times. At the Mayoral election on 3rd May this progress is at risk. The choice at this election is between a plan to ensure a true Olympic legacy that keeps costs low and putting the legacy at risk by cutting investment and damaging the city’s international reputation.
I hope I can count on your support on 3rd May.
PS: If you haven’t already, please sign our Backers Map to show your support for what we’ve already achieved and what we plan to do in the next four years: www.backboris2012.com/#backing
Open auditions – The Taming of the Shrew at the cornerH
William Shakespeare’s comedy The Taming of the Shrew comes to the cornerHOUSE in June – and you could have a part in the production.
by Moonlight theatre company, which brought its highly acclaimed production of Steven Berkoff’s East to the arts centre last year, is looking for actors to play in this Elizabethan romp.
Director Tanju Duncan said: “Without giving too much away, this will be in the style of The Only Way is Essex meets the Bard!“
Open auditions will take place in workshop form at the cornerHOUSE in Douglas Road, Surbiton, on Sunday, April 1 at 5.30pm. You are also asked to prepare a two-minute Jacobean/Elizabethan speech from a play set in that period or from The Taming of the Shrew itself to perform at the audition.
“Please don’t feel you have to memorise it – just get familiar with the speech and be prepared to read it at the audition,” said Duncan.
“We are looking for a few mature gentlemen for some of the roles, so please do come along and have some fun!” she added.
Cast age range is adults only (those who are 16 and who have already left school or over).
The Taming of the Shrew will be staged at the cornerHOUSE on Friday, June 29 and Saturday, June 30 at 7.45pm and then at the Rose Theatre in Kingston on July 8, 10 and 15 at 7.45pm as part of Kingston’s International Youth Arts Festival. So you must be available for those dates.
For further details about the auditions or about the production, email the director Tanju Duncan attanju@bymoonlighttheatre.com
Letter from Boris Johnson
Dear Paul,
I hope I am not normally seen as a pessimistic sort of character, but at the Mayoral election on May 3rd I am afraid I see real risks for this city.
The election comes at a critical time for London. Londoners are going through one of the most difficult periods in recent memory. Despite this, we’re making progress. Progress that would be put at risk if we were to take the wrong turn now.
When I was elected the whole budget was out of control. My determination to end the waste and mismanagement of the previous Mayor has freed up the money to pay for a strong plan for our future. We are putting that money where Londoners want to see it spent in spite of the very difficult financial circumstances.
I feel like a man who has built half a bridge. I can see the other side. I can see what needs to be done.
That is why this weekend I launched my 9 point plan that will secure Greater London’s future. It’s a plan that protects the investment we need to create jobs and will help Londoners get through these tough times.
My plan is:
- Cutting waste at City Hall – freeing up £3.5 billion for services
- Putting £445 back in your pocket by freezing the Mayoral share of council tax
- Creating 200,000 new jobs over the next four years
- Making our streets and homes safer with 1,000 more police on the beat
- Restoring 300 acres of green space and planting 20,000 street trees
- Investing £221 million to transform local high streets, supporting small businesses
- Ensuring a true Olympic legacy – 11,000 new homes and 10,000 new jobs
- Reducing Tube delays 30% by 2015. Building Crossrail and orbital rail to link our suburbs. Extending the Bike Hire scheme
- Securing a better deal for London from No 10
That is the choice for Londoners on 3rd May. To go forward with a programme of investment and modernisation or go back to the irresponsible and unaffordable approach of Ken Livingstone.
Help me secure Greater London’s future by pledging your support: www.backboris2012.com/pledge
Best,
Boris Johnson
P.S. This really is a critical election and Londoners cannot afford to go back to Ken Livingstone. Please help us ensure Greater London continues on the right track by donating to my campaign: www.backboris2012.com/donate
Local road works bulletin
from RBK Highways:-
Tolworth
Thornhill Road:
Adjacent to number 35. Strengthening of tributary culvert. Lane closure and temporary road closure (closure for a few days, dates to be confirmed). Works undertaken by the Council, started on 22 February and are expected to be completed within 12 weeks.
Surbiton
Church Hill Road:
Church Hill Road will be closed between St Mark’s Hill and Adelaide Road from 5 to 9 March 2012 for Thames Water to connect St Mark’s Church to the main sewer.
Oak Hill Crescent:
New electricity connection (UKPN) to the Surbiton Hospital site. Oakhill Crescent will be closed between Ewell Road and Oak Hill Road from 8 to 21 March.
Brighton Road:
Railway Bridge Replacement. Severe disruption expected!
- 5 March: Preparatory works for the replacement of the railway bridge; will be done under two-way temporary traffic lights. Expected duration: 2 weeks.
- 28 March: Closure of Brighton Road until the 8th of May. Access to all property and side roads will be maintained.
- 28 March to 13 April: Network Rail’s contractors will remove the deck of the old bridge and install a new one.
- Easter week-end: Total closure of footway and carriageway under Railway Bridge. Network Rail will run a mini-bus service to drive pedestrians from one side of the bridge to the other.
- 13 April to 8 May: Southern Gas Networks will take possession of the closed road to replace the old cast iron mains in Brighton Road with new polyethylene pipes.
- During the closure, Kingston Council will improve the illumination of the public highway under the bridge.
Back Boris for Leap Year!
Dear Paul,
On this Leap Day, we’re asking you to make an important commitment that will have a major impact on your future… and the future of all Londoners.
Please pledge to vote for Mayor Boris Johnson on 3rd May: www.backboris2012.com/pledge
There are only 64 days to go until Londoners head to the polls to elect the next Mayor of London. As Boris supporters, you know how much is at stake.
The return of Ken Livingstone means a return to waste, high taxes, broken promises and Bob Crow and his cronies back at City Hall.
Times are tough, but Boris Johnson’s fresh and honest approach at City Hall is showing signs of progress. By ending the waste and mismanagement of the previous Mayor, Boris has freed up the money to pay for a strong plan for the future.
Boris’s Greater London plan is:
- Putting 1,000 more police officers on the street and cutting crime by over 10%
- Cutting council tax, having frozen it for the last three years saving the average household £445
- Investing £22bn in transport infrastructure, creating 32,000 jobs, linking our suburbs and cutting tube delays by 30% over the next three years
- Investing £221m in local high streets, supporting small businesses
It is imperative to protect this progress. We must not leave our future to chance. We must ensure that Boris gets another four years in office to build on his achievements and deliver his full Greater London Plan.
When it comes down to it, putting a cross next to Boris Johnson’s name on 3rd May is the most important action you can take. If you don’t vote, London’s future is at risk.
For this reason, I am asking you to please pledge to vote for Boris on 3rd May.
Take the pledge: www.backboris2012.com/pledge
Thank you for your continued support. Together, we will win this election and help Boris keep London moving forward to secure a Greater London.
Thanks for your support,
Lynton Crosby
BackBoris2012 Campaign Director
Better late than never – but why the delay?
This week’s Comet has news that Kingston Council has done a u-turn and beefed up its powers to veto roadworks likely to cause traffic misery.
For reasons best known to them alone, our local Lib Dems have ensured that Kingston is one of the last in Greater London to accept powers from Mayor Boris Johnson to force utility companies to get permission before digging up the roads.
The Liberal Democrat council refused to join the scheme, which allowed it to block road works that fail to minimise traffic disruption in 2010 because it was “not sure of its benefits”.
Conservative spokesman for transport Cllr David Cunningham said ‘I have just come back from Kings Road and have been held up in a traffic jam in something that does seem that, if it was better organised, there would not have been the same problems.’
Boris Johnson’s proposals will allow the council to charge companies heavy penalties for carrying out works in key locations during busy times.
Boris for Freedom!
from the Boris Johnson campaign HQ
Dear Paul,
Boris Johnson has today promised, if re-elected, he will extend the Freedom Pass to Londoners aged 60 years or older, reversing the decision taken by Ken Livingstone’s Labour to raise the age at which Londoners are entitled to free travel.
The move rewards those who have worked hard, paid their taxes, done the right thing and were entitled to expect their ticket to free travel on turning sixty.
Boris’s new pledge will mean that any resident of London aged 60 or older will be entitled to free travel on the bus, Tube, DLR and London Overground anywhere, anytime, any place in Greater London.
In 2008, Boris promised Londoners that he would give every 60 year old a 24 hour freedom pass. He delivered on that promise. But he is conscious – and has been increasingly concerned – that his promise of free travel has been eroded by Labour’s decision in 2009 to raise the age where Londoners qualify for free travel.
TfL have already budgeted for this modest cost next year and Boris is confident that his relentless savings drive will deliver the modest sums needed to guarantee it for the duration of the next mayoral term. Unlike Ken Livingstone, Boris only makes promises he can deliver and this promise today means any Londoner over sixty can ride the tube, bus, and overland any time, any place anywhere in greater London as long as he is in City Hall.
In 72 days’ time Londoners decide whether London goes forward under Boris Johnson rather than backwards under Ken
News from OUR local theatre
It was “House Full” at the cornerHOUSE comedy last week and promises to be so again on Thursday 8 March when Milton Jones ( http://www.miltonjones.com/ ) and Patrick Monahan ( http://www.patrickmonahan.co.uk/ ) take to the stage for Outside The Box. Tickets are on sale now through this link :
http://www.outsidetheboxcomedy.co.uk/show-listings.htm?id_club=1002 and, to avoid disappointment, you should book now if you wish to see Milton and Patrick.
As ever there is a chance of unannounced drop-ins ( Jon Richardson popped in last week, adding to a great bill headlined by Sean Hughes ) and line-up changes.
Scrutiny on Tolworth Broadway
See earlier posts on this and Tolworth Broadway page
At the Scrutiny Meeting on Thursday 16th February, Conservative Councillors debated concerns over the proposed Tolworth ‘Greenway’ Project. Cllrs Richard Hudson, Mike Burden and Karen George called in the decision as it failed to address issues around pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, a lack of sufficient consultation and issues around value for money for the tax payer. Leader of the Conservative Group and Chair of the Scrutiny Panel Cllr Howard Jones stated that every Councillor on both sides of the political spectrum supported the regeneration of Tolworth Broadway. However, the number one priority of the local authority should always be the safety of residents and visitors to our towns.
Cllr Jones said “This was not the right scheme for Tolworth, this is simply a ‘vanity project’ from the LibDems who have given the go ahead to a scheme which has received less than 10% feedback from the consultation, whilst also ignoring numerous safety reports conducted by independent auditors, that stated the risk of cyclists and pedestrians colliding with one another on the ‘Greenway’ is very likely.”
The LibDem Administration were convinced that the scheme was value for money despite 80% of the £2.6m cost of the project going directly to fund the resin-based gravel material, which will form the ‘Greenway’. It was discovered on the evening that Transport for London refused to take responsibility for the ‘Greenway’ if things were to go wrong. RBK will also have to pick up the bill in maintaining the central reservation and renewing the surface every 15years – potentially costing Kingston residents an additional £1m over that period of time.
Cllr Priyen Patel said “It’s ludicrous that we have a scheme which does not deliver what residents and businesses wanted. What is the point of carrying out a consultation if the LibDem Council will simply ignore those views and plough on with a completely different concept? The main improvements residents and local businesses wanted was increased parking and easing of traffic congestion – this scheme does neither.”
After nearly five hours debating it was clear the Lib Dem Councillors were not interested in the concerns of residents in the public gallery or those raised by Conservative Councillors. Cllr George said “This misconceived project for a ‘green utopia’ down one of the busiest intersections along the A3 will be a disaster waiting to happen – if this administration has any concern for the safety of the public, I urge you to halt this proposal.”
However, with the Lib Dems holding a majority on the panel the ‘Greenway’ was voted through with work expected to start imminently in preparation for the Olympics.
A recorded vote on the decision was requested by Cllr Jones and Cllr Cunningham.
Those for: Cllrs Stephen Brister, Alan Dean, Chrissie Hitchcock, Rachel Reid & Marc Woodall.
Those against: Cllrs Howard Jones, David Cunningham, Priyen Patel & Frank Thompson.
Are Ken’s fares really fair?
Do we really want to go back there?'
Labour’s chief Transport spokesperson has let the cat out of the bag on Ken Livingstone’s election promise to cut fares.
She has confirmed what everybody else knows: there is no money for fare cuts without cutting £1bn worth of investment in services.
In a candid interview with the Guardian today, Maria Eagle said: “Reducing the deficit requires us to support cuts in spending that we might not have in the past. Some of this is painful.”
This follows independent assessments of Ken Livingstone’s election promise that confirm he could not cut fares without cutting investment.
The Channel Four Fact Check blog recently concluded that; ‘If he cuts fares, TfL would expect to lose £1.12bn in income from fares – and that’s a hole he wouldn’t be able to plug without hitting the day-to-day funding for London’s transport or taking money from investment projects.’
It is becoming clearer by the day that either Ken Livingstone has no intention of ever cutting fares, or he is working on a behind the scenes plan to cut £1bn of investment.
This would mean axing local bus routes in the suburbs, cutting bus police, stopping tube station refurbishments and delaying programmes to make the tube more frequent and less overcrowded.
He must come clean with Londoners now. Which is it to be?
Surbiton Filter Beds
The following intelligence was supplied by OADRA: -
Surbiton Filter Beds
The planned development of a marina, restaurant, 64 ‘floating’ homes and riverside walkway, etc. at the Surbiton Filter Beds site was discussed at the Surbiton Planning Sub-Committee on 11th January. Many objections were aired at that meeting, but also some views strongly in favour.
We have been told by RBK that this major application will not be ready for a decision at the Development Control Committee’s February meeting, and will
possibly not make the next meeting on 22 March either. Therefore, there is still time to let the Council know what you think about this proposal.
There is no definite final deadline, but they recommend you send in your views during February (and at least by one week prior to the 22 March).
Details with maps and plans can be viewed at:
http://www.kingston.gov.uk/browse/environment/planning/major_planning_applications/surbiton_filterbeds.htm
Or at the Guildhall (and probably at libraries – but sorry, I can’t confirm that).
According to RBK’s website, “If you would like to discuss the application with a planning officer, please telephone the lead officer David Horkan on
020 8547 4707 or the case officer Karen Coles on 020 8547 5362…. You can comment:
- directly on this website
- or you can e-mail (please include your name and address): development.management@rbk.kingston.gov.uk
- or you can write to: Development Management, Guildhall, High Street, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, KT1 1EU.
Any comments that you make will be placed on the planning application file which is available for public inspection and copying.”
Council Tax – letter from Boris
Dear Paul,
Now more than ever, the responsibility of any Mayor is to treat every penny of Londoners’ money with care. Because it’s not my money. It’s yours.
And it will only ever be used on the things that take London forward. To invest in transport infrastructure, put more police on the streets, make the Olympics a success and build more affordable housing.
Anything spare should always be passed back to Londoners.
When I was elected in 2008, Londoners were tired of 8 years of successive council tax hikes.
I promised to end the culture of waste created by Ken Livingstone and keep taxes low.
I kept this promise. We’ve frozen our share of council tax every year. And we’ve done this by ruthlessly ferreting out waste.
- We no longer spend £10,000 on a subscription to the Morning Star.
- We no longer spend £3m a year on a personal propaganda sheet for the Mayor.
- And we haven’t spent £20,000 on a lunch for Hugo Chavez. Or £30,000 on a trip to Cuba.
By working over the last three years to turn around London’s finances, I am able – for the first time in the history of the mayoralty – to cut my share of council tax.
The choice at this election could not be clearer. My record shows that, whenever possible, we keep taxes and charges low.
- We scrapped Ken Livingstone’s plans for a £25 tax on family vehicles.
- We scrapped the Western Extension of the Congestion Charge, providing relief to small businesses.
- We extended the Freedom Pass to 24 hour operation. And we put Oyster on national rail, leading to cheaper fares for many.
- And we’ve done this in the teeth of a recession, whilst increasing police numbers and protecting the investment that will help our city grow once more – providing jobs and prosperity.
Ken Livingstone’s record shows he puts up taxes and charges at every opportunity. We couldn’t afford it during the good times, and we certainly can’t afford it now.
His Labour allies on the London Assembly have already voted against a budget that freezes council tax. Next week, they will be asked to vote to cut council tax. I will urge them to do this, and I urge you to join me in sending them a message to vote the right way.
Please visit: www.borisbudget.com
Best wishes,
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London
Greenway scrutiny and petition
Follow this link Greenway leaflet 28 Jan 12 vr4 to a new leaflet with petition sheet in PDF format.
