Charges & Fees Galore

As a New Year present (actually passed before Christmas, but this hardly feels like something fitting for the season of goodwill) it seems that Hillingdon Borough Council has decided to increase the fees and costs for a number of items outside of the proposed increase to council tax. Remember that this is a Conservative council with a Conservative-run government, so any claims they might once have had of being a party of low taxes are utterly ruined, as their own council now claims that they are unable to pay for basic services through the combination of council tax and grants from central government.

If you are interested, here’s a list of fees and charges they are proposing to increase:

[accordian][toggle title=”Blue Badge”]Increase from £2.10 to £10, an increase of 376%.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Cemeteries and Cremetoria”]Increases of up to 25% on all charges.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Local Land Charges”]Cost of a search to increase from £15 to £45, an increase of 200%.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Development Control – Pre-Application Fees”]Average increase of 20% across all such fees.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Food Health and Safety”]Cost increase of 30% for provision of export certificates, attributed solely to Brexit, a Conservative policy.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Parking”]Uplifts in cost of between 10p and 50p an hour. Total effect not listed.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Resident Permits”]New charge of £75 for a permit application, increased cost of 9% for additional permits.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Visitor Vouchers”]Increase in cost from £10.50 to £13.00 for 10 vouchers. Increase of 24%.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Refuse Collections”]Increase in the cost of collecting bulky waste items from £30 to £48, an increase of 60%.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Golf”]Obviously an important one for the council, which has decided to introduce a discounted rate for 3-ball and 4-ball groups. Clearly a very important matter to offer discounts on at a time when so many other costs are increasing.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Advertising in Hillingdon People”]Increase of about 30% across the board.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Marriages”]Increase of about 30% for all non-statutory marriage-related fees.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Baby-naming Ceremony”]Increase of 30.22% to £237[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Citizenship Ceremony”]Increase of around 30% for either midweek (to £136.50) or Saturday (to £170.75).[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Civil Funeral”]Increase in cost to £300, representing an increase of 30%[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Civic Centre Room Hire”]Increase of about 30% for any room.[/toggle]
[toggle title=”Various other charges”]There are a lot of 30% increases for things like permits, library borrowing, mostly up 30% or so.[/toggle]
[/accordian]

Full details available in this document:

In short, this is a result of a national government that does not do enough to fund local councils coupled with a local government that clearly didn’t set aside finances in years where the country was doing well. In both cases, the party responsible is the Conservatives, who currently represent 100% of Hillingdon’s councillors and also a significant majority of MPs at national level.

Current parliament of the UK, courtesy of Wikipedia

This cost of living crisis is already bad enough without a council that belongs to the party responsible for the national crisis (not to mention the other crises going on) increasing costs by more than the already staggeringly high rate of inflation.

You deserve better.

Hazeena A

Ian, thank you once again for your support. It means a lot.

Thank you so much for [creating this petition] and so amazingly quickly!!!

You did a brilliant job on both the blog and petition. Some of the NHS staff were even impressed with the speed at which you addressed this, and I have had varying positive comments from friends who have read your post.

Hazeena A – Ruislip, Northwood & Pinner Resident

Sheena Y

Having worked with Ian I can say that I found him incredibly transparent and honest which I think would be rare and much needed in today political arena. He is also very clever, direct and a great communicator.

Sheena Y, former co-worker

Andy H

Ian is a very smart individual, but more importantly is honest and truly cares about people.

He is an unselfish individual and would absolutely have the public’s best interests at heart.

Andy H, brother

Luca M

I met Ian a few months ago for the first time and straight away I felt confortable with him and I thought: ” Ok I would trust that guy”.

Luca M, fellow speakers’ club member

Francisco V

Throughout the 12 years I have known Ian, he has always demonstrated to be very bright, kind and upright. I’ve seen all of these attributes in his personal life, for instance, in our sport association he volunteered as treasurer where he improved the overall system and costs as well as championing charitable giving & generous donations. He’ll definitely make a difference in a bigger role in politics.

Francisco V, fellow jū jūtsu instructor and friend

Irene H

You have the moral integrity and high standards in all aspects of the requirements of your potential constituents. You will stand up to injustice and defend those deemed to have had injustice against them. You are committed to environmental change and to look after the less well off in society.

Irene H, mother

Graham C

First and foremost, your personal ethos of kindness and care for others is your top qualification. That you are also highly driven with a need to be productive, and understand very complex matters such as financial systems, makes you stand out.

Graham C, fellow jū jūtsu instructor and friend

Anonymous

You are one of the most principled people that I know. You are committed to making changes that support the most vulnerable in our society and you don’t give up when you know you’re fighting for what’s right.

Anonymous

Helen C

Integrity.
Unlike the rest of us who are disillusioned with the lack of honesty, morals, and the unfair and outdated ‘public schoolboy network’ displayed by this government, you have decided to stand up and make a difference.
Your constituents couldn’t have a better candidate.

Helen C, Aunt

Miles H

Having known Ian for a number of years during which we worked closely as Financial Advisers, I am confident that he would make an excellent MP. Ian is an intelligent man who has the ability to absorb, understand and manage complex information quickly; I have, on many occasions, witnessed him do this whilst retaining the ability to explain it, in a manner which is easy to understand.

I have seen Ian display the courage of his convictions on a professional level, where he has put the clients needs before that of the company and have no doubt he would carry this attitude into public life.

Ian and I have disagreed on politics in the past, but he has always listened carefully to any position and taken time to offer a thoughtful response. If he became an MP I am sure his constituents would benefit from an effective and hard working representative.

Miles H, former co-worker