Ashford's "Stealth Taxes" For Local Businesses

I was absolutely horrified to read the Ashford Borough Council intends to charge businesses for putting a board in the street.

This appears to be another stealth tax introduction by the borough council, alongside increasing market rental by 50% (per hour), charging for leafleting and advertising and a significant increase in parking charges.

I do intend to conduct a Freedom of Information request to find out exactly where all this new revenue accrued is going.

We do not see it in the provision of services as residents, I can assure you of that.

I am an Ashfordian born and ,and in the last three years have seen my council tax rise, the allocation of police community resource officers changed from one ward to one to four wards, the loss of the custody suite and subsequent jobs within the police station, the introduction of significantly higher parking prices, the destruction of buildings to build car parks and further isolate the town centre, the introduction of an expensive high-speed rail service but no investment in local services.

We have had the wonderful stories of people making their own warning signs about potholes within the borough, we have had green waste collection removed, I regularly support residents whose wardens have been removed from their housing, I am now campaigning against the introduction of charges for the Lifeline system for elderly residents which has replaced the wardens.

I have watched the market be forced from Elwick Road to Bank Street, then away from the bandstand and down to the lower area of the high Street where is reduced often to three or four stalls on a week day and five or six at a weekend.

There were rumours of local community centre at Bybrook being closed, buses do not provide disability access, and more land is being used for more houses when there is no community infrastructures as a supporter let alone council services.

I'm terrified of the day when Ashford Borough Council will decide to follow in the footsteps of Barnett and provide an "EasyJet" no-frills council service for seemingly more money than we had paid before.