Lyons Report - a sadly missed opportunity

2.41.14pm GMT Tue 20th Mar 2007

Cllr Richard Kemp, Leader of the Liberal Democrats in local government has described the likely outcome of the Lyons review on local government finance as "a sadly wasted opportunity to put right a problem which is both unfair to the people it charges and which discredits local government at the same time".

Cllr Kemp said: "There were many things that Lyons could have done including recommending the development of a local income tax which would base people's tax on their ability to pay. By going only for timid remedies because that is all he has been allowed by Gordon Brown his commission has failed local government.

"There will now be no realistic change in local government funding for a decade which means that our revenue raising powers will simply be unable to keep up with the increased demands on our services caused by increasing numbers of elderly people, production of ever increasing waste and the problems of a fragmenting society.

"A failure to find a fair funding formula will lead inevitably to cuts in service which will hit at those in most need".