Concern as Labour Ministers plan new taxes on Weaver Vale by “back door” : Graham Evans, Conservative MP for Weaver Vale
Graham Evans, Conservative MP for Weaver Vale

Concern as Labour Ministers plan new taxes on Weaver Vale by “back door”

New laws to impose regional government and slip in congestion taxes

New laws before Parliament will allow the imposition of congestion taxes, road pricing and workplace parking taxes on Weaver Vale, Cllr Graham Evans,Weaver Vale's Prospective Parliamentry Candidate, warned today. The small print of new legislation gives sweeping powers to new unelected bodies to control transport policy – including the power to levy new taxes. Unelected regional government will also be strengthened, giving them sweeping powers over housing and planning.

·         Unelected economic and transport quangos: The Government’s so-called Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill gives Labour Ministers the power to create new ‘combined authorities’, made up or two or more local authority areas. This will mean that Halton and Cheshire West and Chesterwill lose control of power over economic development, regeneration and transport policy. The new bodies will not be directly elected, and the rules on their appointments will be drawn up by the Government.

·         Quangos can impose new taxes via the back door: The small print – the obscure Schedule 6 of the Bill – allows the unelected combined authorities to impose ‘local charging schemes’, in the form of congestion taxes, road pricing and workplace parking taxes. Labour politicians could use these new unelected quangos to slip in the new taxes, and override public opposition.

·         More powers to unelected housing and planning quangos: The Bill also gives housing and planning powers to the unelected appointees of the North West Regional DevelopmentAgency. Through binding new regional plans, buildings and development can be imposed on local communities, and environmental protection like the Green Belt can be ripped up. Labour Ministers will also have power to revise the regional plans as they see fit.

Weaver Vales Prospective Conservative MP Graham Evans, said: “Gordon Brown’s new laws are the antithesis of local democracy. Yet more unelected quangos are taking power away from local people. It is clear that Labour politicians intend to use these new ‘combined authorities’ as a Trojan Horse to force through congestion taxes, road pricing and workplace parking taxes on Weaver Vale by the back door, and sideline Halton and Cheshire West & Chester Councils.

“Rather than giving even more powers to unelected regional quangos, the Government should hand power back to local communities, starting off by abolishing the regional planning bodies.”

DECEMBER 2008