Roe is 100% correct. Physical businesses are being severely damaged whilst online retailers pay no business rates and as often as not are based in tax light countries.
Roe is set to go to the Lords so let's hope she continues the battle there.
This is a battle that RBKC should have joined.
One person who is fuming about her elevation is Pooter Cockell.
When the Dame bumped into him at the Earls Court Society Christmas bash she asked him if he had sent 'Pippa' a note of congratulation. She deemed it safer not to await his reply....
Hell hath no fury like a Pooter scorned.
Poor Pooter. Disgraced ex Cllr Cockle has no one but himself to blame for his second class status.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, Hornton Street is not awake about the needs and interests of its residents and tax payers. Officers and Councillors who are not connected up (there are some exceptions. Cllr Dent Coade for example) and who need to be bashed.
ReplyDeletebut, where would RBKC make money from? If these grossly inflated business rates did not apply... There would not be extra dosh for all those outlandish ego-tripping projects? And most importantly, RBKC could claim that there would not be enough dosh for social service...ba humbug...
ReplyDeleteWhen will the residents realise that this Council and its dreadful leaders past and present have no interest in local residents. This Council is now run by bureaucrats who openly sneer at what used to be quality businesses and services. They treat the Councillors as a joke. Sad Badger is correct, not only does this Borough do 'nicely' from parking meter fines, resident and builders permits etc. They put away vast amounts of funding earmarked for the most vulnerable into their 'corporate reserves'. Once in corporate reserves they are free to do whatever they like with that money. Does anyone know how much their underspends have been last few years?
ReplyDeleteYes. Happy to post when I've digested Christmas.
Deletehttps://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2016/12/11/poverty-at-the-rbkc-goldmine/
DeleteThe K&C administration is thick and greedy. Just like football management.
ReplyDeleteUnlike football, we have a democratic opportunity to get rid of them.
Video City was destroyed by the business rates. Lib Dems the only party trying to help small local businesses.
ReplyDeleteWatch this video says it all about what local government has done to kill small businesses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edsT2kIgSYg
We were told local councillor and customer was told about Video city closing she responded with "Don't worry we will get in next year" think it was Cllr Barbara Campbell.
Business rates and high rents have pushed out the poorest and made our high streets bland and faceless.
K&C is heading for a community of empty flats, coffee shops and Estate Agents.
ReplyDeleteWhat a prospect!
Developers with £ millions in the bank, Officers enjoying their holiday homes and Mercedes, and Councillors fully puffed and plumed.
And the vapid elderly, voting Tory on autopilot for generations, too stupid to notice what is going on so long as the kids can still go to Eton.
Fly Swatter needs to mature a little. Belittling our Councillors and Officers is not the way to get progress. They need to be inspired to achieve better things. We need to to find and encourage men and women of vision to work in Hornton Street and build a better society.
DeleteI agree with Fly Swatter that currently the Borough is going down the tubes. Greed and shortsightedness is the the order of the day.
The only time we see Cllrs and Officers do anything is when they are mentioned on the news, twitter or the Dame's blog.
DeleteK&C needs Councillors, and a Leader, like Phillipa Roe. People who recognise the fundamentals and speak out. People who avoid fripperies (like Holland Park Opera) and concentrate on what matters to residents and businesses. People who understand what a healthy society looks like. People with the energy to pursue these things.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few such people in the Borough. MP Borwick and Cllr Coade and Cllr Mills to name a few. But we need more of these people. Urgently.
Borwick is a camera hogger, too busy with her antique friends and silicon valley wannabees. In a year and half we have seen her do nothing but promote her bloated ego.
DeleteWhilst small businesses close, residents left vulnerable to developers and we see no action from our MP.
Borwick got in with a 8,000 majority this was due to many not wanting Miliband to get into No 10. She will not see this majority again due to her laziness.
This is not the Victoria Borwick that I know!
DeleteWestminster was virtually bankrupt - until bailed out by RBKC in Tri-Borough - but that was under Barrow, not Roe.
ReplyDelete21.00 Borwick works tirelessly for residents of this Borough. and she is not afraid to challenge or question the council. But she has only a certain amount of influence, its the other spineless, toothless wasters in the Town Hall that ignore residents, ultimately taking a nice salary and pension to do nothing. It is time the residents woke up to this and made them accountable. As for the leader...utterly pointless, the officers know that too.
ReplyDelete