I speak from experience, what Jeremy said is absolutely true.Ill-gotten gain would be the most polite way of putting it.Several years back, pre-COVID, when business rates skyrocketed many businesses were struggling to pay the newly exorbitant rates including us. The Friday before the council closed for December holidays, we received notification from LBH and Liberata we were in arrears or some such thing - mind you with them you never know because their own statements tend to cancel each other out saying we've over paid but could we still pay again type thing.Given the holiday closure all we could do is wait it out and call the very first second we were able in January. By that time the situation "progressed" to the point where the bailiff showed up on our door first thing in the morning demanding payment plus penalty plus interest or he would shut us down. I contacted one Steve Curran who said there was "nothing" he could do even though we knew that it needed LBH approval to go from their desks to Liberata's desk and LBH had the ability to pull it back from the brink until such time as everything got sorted. We also knew LBH has the power to override any rates set by central government as often seen with charity shops. Mind you we were not after rate reduction, but a better auditing of where we stood without a penalty and forced closure looming over our heads. The electric companies use a similar strong-arm tactic. Subsequent to that, in a meeting unrelated to rates, Steve Curran lauded it over me as if almost proud. By then I knew he was a snake, but that confirmed the depth to which Hounslow Labour government will stoop for political purposes. So under his leadership, it really comes as no surprise to me the existing batch of Labour Councillors and Cabinet are rotten to the core. Wipe the slate clean and start again, and then maybe they'd be worth a look. Not now.
David Lesniak ● 1644d