---

Council Tax (New Valuation Lists for England) Bill

What a letting of the cat out of the bag we have witnessed this evening! With all due respect to Her Majesty and her relationship with her Loyal Opposition, I would ask for my money back. The once-great Conservative party has been reduced to something of a pickle. The amendment before us in the name of the right hon. and learned Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition is worth quoting:"““That this House declines to give a Second Reading to the Council Tax (New Valuation Lists for England) Bill because the Bill merely delays rather than cancels the council tax revaluation””." That is a consistent position—since 7 April. Of course, were the amendment accepted, revaluation would be reintroduced with effect from 1 April 2007. Although this point has been made several times today, let me emphasise that the Conservatives’ strategy since their U-turn in the spring has been to scaremonger. That campaign has been based—another Conservative Member also let the cat out of the bag in this respect—on exploiting the fear of many, especially pensioners and the low paid, that because the value of their house has increased, it follows that a banding increase will take place. Nothing could be further from the truth.