Calls for the Government to speed up the publishing of local spending plans under the new Sustainable Communities Act have reopened fears of more stealth taxes. The LGA called for the Government to publish public service spending details by the autumn, as part of its consultation on the Sustainable Communities Act. ‘One issue of concern is that the public spending statements may not be published by the Government until six months after proposals have been invited,' said LGA chairman, Sir Simon Milton. Tory local government spokesman, Eric Pickles, said the Act ‘should not be used as a backdoor way of hiking local taxes by stealth'. ‘The public and political enthusiasm for the new laws will quickly evaporate if it is used to introduce ill-conceived ideas such as supermarket parking taxes,' he said. LGA senior policy consultant, Jo Dungey, said it was ‘early days' for the new legislation, and ‘it's hard to know what proposals will come forward'.
