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Council Tax Capping (Surrey)

My hon. Friend is absolutely right that such a review would pile insult on to injury. Instead of £1.2 million to deal with a £1.6 million over-billing, we may be talking about a situation in which the total bill has climbed beyond £1.6 million. Although I do not think that anyone on the Conservative Benches would argue that there does not need to be a solution to the over-billing that has taken place, there is an objection to a cap and re-bill proposal that will cost at least £1.2 million. I suggest to the Minister that he should use two tests when deciding whether to proceed down this route. First, will it satisfy those who are supposed to be the beneficiaries—those who are supposed to be protected by it, and band E council tax payers who will receive a £3 reduction in their annual council tax bill and will have to use up a significant proportion of it setting up a new direct debit or standing order? I suggest to him that it will not. Secondly, will it satisfy what has famously been described as the court of public opinion on the common-sense test? Will the taxpayers of this country at large think that this was a sensible and proportionate intervention by the Government? Clearly they will not. I suggest to the Minister that he will greatly enhance his own reputation if he can intervene in this matter. He should act with common sense in the present case and discuss with his colleagues a way forward for the future—if there is a future for them—in which clear guidance is set out in a timely fashion. That would help to ensure that no other authority, police, local or otherwise, ever finds itself in a situation of over-billing as a consequence of not clearly understanding the baseline against which it should be working and the capping guidelines that the Government of the day wish to impose. In that way, we would have clear information and a pragmatic response when something goes wrong. I hope that despite the Conservatives' concerns, the Minister will engage in the debate in a spirit of common sense to find a solution that satisfies the needs to spend public money carefully and wisely and to protect the taxpayers of Surrey, and also protects the services that Surrey police wish to continue delivering to their citizens and our constituents. Those people certainly hope that the services continue to be provided for them.