Crawley Labour refuse to rule out the Tenant Tax in Crawley

At last week's Full Council meeting, Labour Councillors looked very uncomfortable throughout. In debate on this item in particular, they floundered all over the place as they defended Croydon Labour's plans to introduce a tax on tenants while refusing to say what they planned in Crawley. Our Conservative Group press release is below the picture.


Crawley Labour refuse to rule out taxing private-sector housing tenants

"Crawley’s Conservative councillors have warned that the Council’s new Labour administration has refused to rule out introducing additional costs for the town’s private sector housing tenants in the form of a Tenant Tax.

A Conservative Notice of Motion at last week’s Full Council meeting called upon the Council not to introduce a Licensing Scheme for private rented properties, similar to the one which the new Labour administration at Croydon Borough Council is proposing. Croydon is the nearest Labour Council to Crawley.  

Councillor Richard Burrett, the Conservatives’ Shadow Cabinet Member for Housing, said “The indications are that the costs of the scheme Labour are proposing in Croydon could cost each tenant household £200 a year. This is the last thing hard-pressed tenants in Crawley need, which makes it all the more disappointing that Labour councillors voted down our motion, which would have brought reassurance to Crawley’s tenants.”

Conservative Group Leader Councillor Duncan Crow added “In defending Labour’s Tenant Tax, one Labour councillor said in debate that £200 wasn’t very much for tenants to pay in comparison to the rents they are paying. For Labour to say this and to vote against our motion feels very much like they have designs to follow Croydon's Labour Group in planning to tax tenants as an easy source of income. Conservative councillors are on the side of tenants and we will resist any Labour attempts to introduce the Tenant Tax in Crawley.”