The state and local government

965 R. Leonard, ‘Let the workers’ fightback begin’, Morning Star, 13 August 2009. Richard Leonard is the GMB Scotland organiser and political officer. Stephen Purcell resigned suddenly as leader and a councillor in March 2010, citing stress, exhaustion and depression for his departure. His resignation sparked a series of allegations that Labour business donors and Purcell's closest political allies in the city had benefited directly from contracts and his patronage in appointments to key council organisations. One of his close allies, councillor Ruth Black, was also questioned by police over whether she had given Purcell drugs and whether she was unfairly given a £50,000 council contract. The Crown Office and Strathclyde police on 15 April 2010 stated that detectives had begun a criminal inquiry into Stephen Purcell's use of the class A drug and into "other matters", thought to include allegations that council contracts may have been corruptly awarded (S. Carrell, ‘Ex-Glasgow council boss Stephen Purcell investigated over drug use’. The Guardian, 16 April 2010).

966 V. Mills, ‘Labour pains of a troubled party’, Morning Star, 31 July 2009, my emphasis.

967 Greenberg’s research – carried out by Greenberg, Quinlan Rosner Research based on a survey of a 1,000 people selected to reflect the profile of the electorate – was presented at a conference hosted by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in London on 17 May 2010.

968 S. Watkins, 2010, pp. 11-12.

969 Ibid., p. 7.

970 See Chapter 14, note 3. Though – despite the spin – even these minimal proposals were subsequently negated by the 'brutal' anti-working class and anti-poor June 2010 emergency Budget (see Chapter 14).

971 F. Mactaggart et al, 2006, p. 6.

972 Department for Communities and Local Government, 2007, p. 46.

973 A. Shah (ed.), 2006, p. 31.

974 That is, whether residential, commercial or agricultural. Furthermore, in most states the same rate is applied to the assessed value of all properties, however in Pennsylvania, higher rates are imposed on the assessed value of land than on that of improvements.

975 At this stage the value is reassessed.

976 J. Carson 2007, pp. 4-5.

977 P. Gosling, ‘California dreaming (of solvency)’, Local Government Chronicle, 7 July, 2009.

978 P. Harris, ‘Californicated: Is the Golden State about to become America’s first failed state?’ The Observer Magazine, 4 October 2009, pp. 32-38, p. 38.

979 P. Gosling, op. cit.

980 P. Harris, ‘From Motown to misery: the bitter fate of Detroit’, The Observer, 1 November, 2009.

981 Ibid.

982 J. Carson, 2007, p. 5.

983 Ibid.

984 Ibid.

985 J. Loughlin and S. Martin, 2007, p. 34.

986 A. Shah (ed.) 2006, Figure 1.4, p. 33.

987 House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee, 2009a, p. 10.

988 Ibid., p. 13.

989 House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee, 2009b, p. 133.

990 J. Jones, 2008, p. 24.

991 D. Sorabji, 2007, pp. 10-11.

992 W. Keegan, ‘In my view’, The Observer, 26 April 2009.

993 House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee, 2009b, p. 154.

994 House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee, 2009a, p. 65.

995 Ibid., p. 66.

996 Ibid.

997 Ibid.

998 Ibid.

999 Conservative Party, 2009a, p. 3.

1000 Ibid., p. 11.

1001 Ibid., p. 13.

1002 Ibid., p. 16.

1003 Ibid.

1004 M. Sahlin, ‘Don't trust the Conservative education policy - they want to implement our Swedish failures’, The Guardian, 2 May 2010.

1005 Ipsos-MORI, ‘Unison Conference Polling 2009’, 11 August 2009, Table 8.

1006 Carson, 2007, p.10.

1007 Ibid.

1008 L.P. Feld and F. Schneider, 2005, p. 3.

1009 Loughlin and Martin, 2007, p. 33.

1010 Carson, 2007, p. 11.

1011 Loughlin and Martin, 2007, p. 36.

1012 Carson, 2007, p. 11.

1013 M. Lyons, 2007, Chapter 7 ‘Household taxation and local charges’, p. 272, paras 7.236-7.241.

1014 House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee, 2009b, p. 132.

1015 Ibid.

1016 BBC News, ‘Lib Dems vote to axe council tax’, 23 September, 2003.

1017 BBC News, Nick Clegg interview transcript, Politics Show, 10 February 2008.

1018 The Liberal Democrats secured a ‘full review of local government finance’ during the negotiations on their coalition with the Conservatives (Cabinet Office, 2010, p, 11).

1019 Liberal Democrats, 2010, p. 90.

1020 Jones, 2008, p. 23.

1021 Eurostat, 2009. The Gini coefficient is an internationally-recognised measure of income inequality which condenses the entire income distribution into a single number between zero and one hundred: the higher the number, the greater the degree of income inequality.

1022 M. Danson and G. Whittam, 2007. Geoff Whittam is a reader in the Business School of the University of the West of Scotland and Mike Danson is a Professor in Scottish and regional economics and policy development at the University of the West of Scotland.

1023 Michael Lennon left GHA on 31 January 2007.

1024 M. Danson and G. Whittam, 2007. See also M. Danson and G. Whittam, 2009.

1025 ‘Council tax should be replaced by a local income tax based on ability to pay’ (Communist Party of Britain, 2000, Chapter 3, ‘Economic and Social policies’, paragraph 3).

1 I. McLean, 2005, pp. 17-21.

2 H. George, 1912, ‘Preface’ p. 9. Henry George (1839-97) was an American bourgeois economist, earlier a sailor, gold-digger and printer; and the founder of the petty-bourgeois land reform movement.

3 Ibid., ‘Of the Effect Upon Individuals and Classes’, IX.III.1.

4 Ibid., IX.III.8.

5 R. Wray, ‘Duke of Westminster, Mayfair's biggest landlord, hit hard by property downturn’, The Guardian, 16 April 2009.

6 P. Beresford, ‘Rich List 2009’, The Sunday Times, 26 April 2009, p. 4, p. 56.