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Flying low in the snow, I hear a groan and moan
It's postman time and all is fine until we see what’s come
Another demand for hard earned cash
To pay in lumps on time
Ignore, they say - if you dare
And face a great big fine.

IT'S COUNCIL TAX DEMAND TIME

Known in criminal activity as: demanding money with menaces.

The Pigeon pontificates and wonders where does all that money go.

There are the services provided by the County and District Councils to be paid for, mostly necessary but at costs probably double what is possible with proper professional management and competitive pricing.

There is the Police service from the pot. What Police? Hard to find one but they must be there somewhere and crime is reducing, isn’t it ?

Then there are the more local services. From local tax there’s the Parish Council and from some other tax source the Hawkinge Partnership. What are these two bodies for. They cost a lot but for what purpose. First thoughts are: ‘Of course we need them its part of the democratic purpose’ but what do they do with our money or what do they do at all. Do we really need them in this modern age where most people follow their own choice of interest and activity?

Perhaps there should be a prize for the best guess as to what the Parish Council has actually achieved over recent years.

There is the monthly display of rancour in the Palace of Varieties with diminishing audiences. There is the football field but that’s there because the District Council said it had to be. There must be something else but try and find it to match the money it costs us all. Oh yes! There is the soon to be sale of the Leisuredrome. That cost a lot to achieve against the wishes of many.

Then there is the highly funded, well staffed Hawkinge Partnership. Do they do anything of actual long time benefit?

The Fun Day grabs the headlines. What happens if it rains? Self gratification also prevails at great cost. Who cares? As Lazarus pointed out here recently only about 1.3% bothered to vote for new members for this year. Should be a message there.

Both manned by very well intentioned people, no doubt, but shouldn’t people be able to choose whether they want or need what is done on their behalf by  local ‘do-gooders’. To do good is their reason for being there but nobody knows what ‘good’ is needed for the benefit those paying through the nose for it.

The Pigeon sees and wonders

The Pigeon