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Council Tax Capping (Surrey)

The truth is that there is no logic and no local accountability whatever. The hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond), who is no longer in his place, accused the Government of petty political vindictiveness, but I am not sure that that is actually the cause. I think that it is simply the case that unless the Government are prepared to wave their stick around at some point in the process of council tax setting, they cannot instil any fear into other local authorities. At least one or two local authorities and police authorities need to be picked off, bullied in public and made an example of so that the Government can continue to claim that they have some authority.