April/May 2007 - London Borough of Hillingdon

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council Council tax – Investing in your priorities Council tax bills have just dropped through letterboxes and this year they contain some good news for the borough's older residents. Hillingdon is the first London borough (and only the second in the UK) to give a reduction on the amount of council tax for the over 65’s.The 2% discount has automatically been applied and should appear on your council tax bill. As well as the discount for older people, the council’s investing significant amounts of extra money in the things that you told us are important to you, including the environment, community safety, road safety, the elderly, carers and youth. At the same time, we have made a number of internal efficiencies so that we are providing value for money for services. This year, the council has had to add 1% to council tax bills to pay for the costs of supporting unaccompanied asylum seekers who have exhausted all appeals and yet remain in the UK. The council has been lobbying the government for more than a year and even took them to court to claim the full costs of supporting the children and young people who come to Hillingdon through Heathrow Airport. Leader of the Council, Cllr Ray Puddifoot said: "We have delivered a local council tax increase of less than 3% and invested significantly in High Court result for Hillingdon At the end of March, the High Court decided that the Government had not acted unlawfully in changing the amount of money Hillingdon gets to pay to support unaccompanied asylum seekers.This means that Hillingdon will have to continue to fund nearly £5m of the costs of supporting unaccompanied asylum seekers, as we do not receive full funding from government. The council had brought the court case on the basis that the government acted unlawfully by reducing the amount of money we are given part-way through the areas that our residents told us are a priority. By giving our older residents a discount, it will make sure the increase in council tax is likely to be less than the increase they receive in the state pension." Cllr Puddifoot added: "However, as we have to cover the shortfall in funding for unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) we can no longer afford the costs of supporting UASC's who have exhausted all appeals (EAA). We have been open and honest about this and will continue to press our case for the Government to fully fund all costs associated with the national asylum seeking policy." "Asylum seeking children and young people are children first and in a civilised society we have a responsibility to ensure their welfare is protected and their needs are met. When we asked the government if they would reimburse the EAA costs, we were told they should be paid from money provided for social services and education which I am not prepared to do as it would impact on the borough's children and our most vulnerable residents." The council tax rate in Hillingdon for 2007/08 has been set at 3.75%*. Over the last five years, Hillingdon has had the lowest rate of council tax increases of any of its West London neighbours. Over 65s council tax discount – your questions answered Q Who will receive the 2% discount? 13,000 people in Hillingdon have been identified as eligible for the 2% discount. Q I already receive council tax benefit, will I also be eligible to receive the 2% discount? If you already receive council tax benefit you will not be eligible for the discount. Q Do I need to apply for the discount? You do not need to apply for the discount as it will automatically be taken off your council tax bill. Q What do I do if I believe I am entitled to the discount but it is not shown on my bill? You should contact the council on 01895 250000 and we will look at your details to see if you qualify for the discount. Q What details will I need to give? You will only be asked for your full name, address, council tax account number and date of birth. Q What should I do if I have any questions about the over 65s council tax discount? Please contact 01895 250000 * The increase for a Band D property is £39.05 a year. Taken together with the increase in the Greater London Authority (GLA) precept of 5.3%, the overall increase to taxpayers in Hillingdon is 4.08%. year.The council also made the case that by having the World's busiest international airport in the borough Hillingdon is unique and should be funded differently to other councils. Cllr Ray Puddifoot, Leader of the Council said: "We are extremely disappointed at this judgement, as we believe we have a strong case for us to receive the full costs for supporting the national policy on unaccompanied asylum seekers. He added: "That Hillingdon has shoulder the burden of this is scandalous and we will continue to press the government for fair funding on this issue. 8 • April/May 2007
Fight against Heathrow expansion continues feature The council has joined forces with 11 other local authorities* to continue the fight against expansion at Heathrow. Called the 2M Group, the alliance aims to represent the 2 million people whose quality of life affected by the airport. Campaign group HACAN ClearSkies has already praised the organisation for publishing the maps highlighting the likely flight paths to and from Heathrow if a third runway goes ahead and a new petition on the Downing Street website is urging people to show their support to the campaign. Hillingdon Council Leader, Cllr Ray Puddifoot said: "The council is working as part of the 2M group to help bring attention to the massive objections to expansion at Heathrow. The detrimental effects of a third runway at Heathrow are immense. Our residents already deal with the environmental impacts of having Heathrow on their doorstep, for example pollution levels in the villages around the airport currently exceed EU guidelines. We appreciate that the airport is a large regional employer and has international status but if you include the environmental costs of aviation, the ‘economic benefit’ soon turns to deficit. This expansion could wipe out whole villages and we will continue to fight it at every opportunity.” More information at www.2MGroup.org.uk * The 2M Group comprises the London Boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Richmond and Wandsworth. Authorities outside London include Slough, South Bucks, Spelthorne and Windsor and Maidenhead. On the bench Hillingdon People met with John to find out a bit more about his role and how Hillingdon magistrates are helping community safety. What experience or qualifications do you need to become a magistrate? Anyone over 18 and under 65 can apply to be a magistrate. No special qualifications are required and interviewers look for common sense, integrity, and a commitment to serving the community. Magistrates receive full training as well as guidance from the higher courts. www.first-avenue.co.uk Bench Chairman, Richard Bristow JP is one of the faces of justice in Hillingdon. A former Hillingdon pupil and magistrate for over twenty years, John is one of 110 magistrates working at Uxbridge Magistrates Court. Do you get a salary? No, we are unpaid although some expenses are paid and there may be help with childcare costs where applicable. Why is it so important that judges are independent of government? In a democracy it is a vital protection for the citizen that an impartial and independent judiciary administers the law.This protection goes right back to Magna Carta. How many cases are dealt with by the magistrates’ courts, rather than the crown courts? Around 95 per cent of criminal cases start and are completed in the magistrates’ court. What sort of cases have you dealt with? We see a huge range of cases from simple motoring offences to assault, theft, environmental offences, drugs offences, and a large number of customs cases from Heathrow Airport, most of them involving the importation of drugs. What would you say to people who think that the courts are too lenient? Sentencing is an enormously complex subject and no two cases are alike. In some cases a fine is appropriate, in others a community sentence can punish people while making them pay back something to society-community penalties these days are onerous (up to 300 hours unpaid work for example). They can be combined with other initiatives, like drug treatment to get to the root cause of someone’s offending behaviour. What would you say to anyone interested in local justice? Being a magistrate is fascinating and I feel privileged to be doing the job. We’re always interested in talking to people interested in applying to join the bench. April/May 2007 • 9
Page 1 and 2: Council magazine of the year www.hi
Page 3 and 4: April/May contents cover stories 7
Page 5 and 6: New agreement for Uxbridge town cen
Page 7: Council services improving Environm
Page 11 and 12: Hillingdon feature And with England
Page 13 and 14: Get set - go! leisure PE lessons ha
Page 15 and 16: Getting to grips with graffiti feat
Page 17 and 18: Could you be a school governor? Wit
Page 19 and 20: environment A breath of fresh air A
Page 21 and 22: ingdon’s green spaces Green Space
Page 23 and 24: Hillingdon’s young people get inv
Page 25 and 26: Spring is in the air events A packe
Page 27 and 28: Time on your hands? volunteers Temp
Page 29 and 30: Useful information Contacting the c
Page 31: arts events in Hillingdon children

April/May 2007 - London Borough of Hillingdon

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