Krissy O'Hagan

Photo: Hammersmith and Fulham councillor Harry Phibbs at a protest meeting on cuts to voluntary sector funding. 

As regular visitors to this site will know, yours truly has been following the trail of service destruction left by the Hammersmith and Fulham Tories in that borough since they took the council in 2006.

What a scream it has been. Even as we speak, the H&F Tory circus is descending into farce, as staff and residents organise a protest this week about the service cuts they're having live with and the services they're having to pay more for.

Last week, the H&F Tories delivered the world of a press release (put out, with genius timing, as the Mumbai disaster took over the news) that rattled on about a three percent council tax cut for Hammersmith and Fulham tax residents. Alas, the press release failed to mention the part of the story that so infuriates locals: that the council now charges for services that used to be covered by council tax, and life is even more expensive than it was. The 50p a week the Tories 'tax cut' now 'saves' residents must be spent on increased parking, recycling, childcare, homecare and meals on wheels fees. 

Our friends over at hfconwatch - among others - estimate that the H&F Tories have increased charges on more than 500 services since they took office. If the Tories manage to close down one or other of the comprehensive schools they've been after, locals will doubtless have to stretch their returned 50p a week to cover private education and/or transport out of the borough for their children. What a deal.

The Tories would, of course, argue that shifting costs to services gives residents 'choice' about paying the council, because they can choose whether or not to use charged-for services (although they rarely mention the service charge increases without a prodding).

The problem with the choice argument, of course, is that few people have desirable choice in these matters unless they are millionnaires.