I MUST declare that I was a ratepayers representative for Spennymoor and was spurred into doing this by an 85 per cent increase in local rates bills.

This method of collecting money for local government expenditure was replaced by the Community Charge (the Poll Tax).

Then after public outrage, this was replaced by the Council Tax, which is property-based.

My greatest concerns about this is the decision by Durham County Council to add an extra Council Tax charge on second properties, even if the owners are trying to sell their homes.

Surely if the owners are trying to sell their second homes through an estate agent, when there is a glut of properties on the market due to an overbuild of new homes, they should not have to pay a second council tax charge? This should be made illegal.

I understand that the second charge is helping to reduce the bills of people living on benefits and low incomes. This money should come from central government and not local government.

I joined the Liberal Democrats because I thought that a local income tax method of funding councils would be based on a person’s income rather than a house value.

Because a person lives in a three bedroom detached property, does not mean that they have a large income.

I know that political parties will be nervous about changing the method of funding local government; however, I would like to see the local income tax method re-evaluated.

In general, it would mean that high wage earners would pay more and the low earners pay less, depending on where they live and how efficient their local authority is.

Ben Ord, Spennymoor.