Perhaps the Conservatives should take up the emblem of a sofa for their annual conference backdrop in Manchester this week judging by how useful said item of furniture has proved in the past few days. First Eric Pickles found £250m down the back of the DCLG sofa for his favourite pet project of weekly bin collectiions. Now George Osborne has discovered another handy sofa in the Treasury behind which he has extracted £800m to fund a second year of council tax freeze.
No wonder people get cynical about politicians. Firstly, this billion pound bung just happens to coincide with the Conservative Party conference. Secondly, I thought we were supposed to be broke. Thirdly, where has this money come from and don't tell me it's from that hoary old chestnut 'Whitehall efficiency savings'? And fourthly, maybe it was always there from the start, deliberately kept back for a rainy day. For George Osborne in opposition always maintained that he would freeze council tax for two years - then made it only one year in his last Budget, thereby allowing himself the room to 'announce' another year.
Furthermore it is just more nails in the coffin of localism. If councils can't even decide on their bin collections or their council tax levels then what powers do they really have in the end?
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