5. How can I communicate with my Councillor? … but the most common ways of communicating are through letter or by attending a surgery (a session held by the Cllr where you can go along and speak 1-1 about issues affecting you)
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7. council tax is calculated based upon the value of your home, the greater the value, the greater the tax. … but in 1990 it was different – the ‘Community Charge’ or Poll Tax was a single rate tax charged per adult. It’s introduction led to widespread direct action including rioting and refusal to pay. The tax was very unpopular, only 2% of people supported it, this helped to bring down Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the tax was scrapped in 1992 when council tax took over.
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9. In 2008, Ed Balls (Children, Schools & Families Secretary) sacked Sharon Shoesmith who was in charge of Children's Services at Haringey Council in London. This happened after the Baby P case where a 17 month old boy died after abuse from his mother and her boyfriend. A report found a ‘ catalogue of errors’ by the Council. This shows that central government still holds power over local government .
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11. Your representatives and the media Just last month a Harrow councillor was forced to apologise after making posting about rivals on his blog– a form of new media. But it was traditional media, the local newspaper that reported the issue to the public. Does the media always represent our interests?