Democracy in local government; sounds like a good idea

Councils are often accused of being a law unto themselves, particularly when it comes to the amount of council tax they collect and what they choose to spend the money on.

Eric Pickles, communities minister, is the latest politician to wade in to the row as ministers are proposing to reduce the amount by which councils can increase council tax to just 1.5%. If councils want to increase it by any more they would have to seek approval from residents.