Ilkley Parish Council should not charge any taxes next year. Partly because selecting any tax (or precept) next year would be unlawful. Mostly because Ilkley’s Council can’t spend the £216,000 it had in its bank accounts last month. More than twice its tax collection.

Ilkley’s parish councillors are weak custodians of other people’s money. Every year, councillors budget to spend more of our money than they’re capable of giving away. Their actions always fall short of their ambitions. Every year their cash mountain grows. A giant subsidy for our local banks. Banks that pay less than half per cent interest overall – much less than the loss of buying power.

It’s not just law and common sense our parish is defying. Previous Conservative Governments wrote (and even re-wrote) law requiring all councils – yes, including Ilkley’s – to raise only the taxes they need, and after taking account of current reserves. Ilkley’s councillors don’t do that. They just add a few per cent to last year’s tax and charge that higher figure. Over 600 of us petitioned for this to stop: they’ve just taxed on and on and on.

Unfortunately, the Conservative’s restraining law never had an enforcement mechanism. Besides, most councils reckon elections are the most powerful tax controller. But we don’t have elections any more in Ilkley. Ilkley Conservative Party appoints most of our councillors because of the way they’ve re-arranged our elections.

Most of Ilkley’s councillors believe their appointment by the Conservative Party means they can spend our money better than we can. It’s their fallacy of power. They’ve persuaded themselves of their superiority. And the power of their patronage.

There’s no way our parish councillors can spend the cash mountain sensibly this year. At the end of their year, Ilkley’s cash mountain will be even bigger. It’s time to stop this nonsense. No parish taxes next year!

Andrew Dundas

Parish Ghyll Drive, Ilkley