Your reflections on council tax and Leeds improvements

Do you think council tax is fair? What repairs or improvements should Leeds City Council prioritise?

Transcript

00:00Council tax, I think it depends whereabouts you are, I think, and the infrastructure that

00:04they've got. I think, you know, getting a doctor's appointment and things like that

00:07is a real struggle at the moment. Potholes. I think if you're living in an area that's

00:11looked after, where they reinvest into the community, then yeah, it's fine. But if not

00:16and you're paying council tax, it's a bit like what you're paying for.

00:18Council tax, huge issue in Leeds is the road quality, I would have to admit. And in different

00:24boroughs, in different areas, it is better. I live in LS16. The roads tend to be fantastic

00:29there. But if you go to an area like Hare Hills, you can tell they're not putting the money

00:33on the roads there. And maybe Hare Hills is underfunded, maybe there's more people. I

00:38don't know how those budgets work. So roads is the most important thing. We have to improve

00:42it. Public transport has improved in terms of timeliness, etc.

00:46I think it's fair because it goes on the value of your property. So the amount that you pay

00:51is fair.

00:51I think the council tax has gone up and up on a regular basis. But I can't see that

01:00they've done an awful lot. I think the potholes are getting worse and worse. And it really

01:07is a big problem for a lot of cars.

01:10So he feels that the council tax increase is not fair because he's concerned about many

01:18people that already are on benefits or have financial difficulties that already struggle

01:23to afford it before the increase. So why should they have to pay extra now and make them suffer

01:28even more than they already are? And then the rich people just have it made, have it easier

01:31for them. So it's like a peanut for them just to pay that extra 5%. So he feels like they

01:38should look into that, find a more fairer way to resolve the issue.

01:42I am a student, so I don't pay council tax at the moment. But I feel like in general improvements

01:48would be, I say, accommodation for unhoused individuals. I feel like it's something that

01:57leads of the council, of course, is working on, but that's something that could be done

02:02and should be done.

02:03Prices of everything are going up. So it's kind of a reflection of that in terms of the

02:07inflationary rates that we're all suffering. But no, I generally think the council do a

02:13fair job, to be honest. Facilities like this, for example, fantastic. I think Leeds has got

02:18a lot of green open spaces that we're looking to have. Refuge collections always on time.

02:26I don't know too much about the health and social care side of things, given where I am

02:31in my life. For me, it's fair, because we have a lot of discount as well for students,

02:37for single person. So I think it's okay. It's not too high.

02:42I mean, you know, when I was a kid, every tradesman that came up the street, whether it was the

02:48milkman or the coalman or the window cleaner, they're always whistling, you know. But you don't

02:54find many people on the council whistling.