Council Tax (New Valuation Lists for England) Bill

I shall stick to the essence of the debate, which is not about my proposals but about the Government’s proposal to put revaluation into the hands of the Secretary of State. However, at the end of my speech I shall mention some of the principles that I think should feature in the Lyons review. The Government have form in relation to politically motivated acts relating to council tax. As a criminal solicitor, I am worried about the possibility that previous convictions will be admissible as evidence in trials, but that is not precluded in this case. The Government certainly have form in connection with the way in which they hand out grants under the distribution formula. In my constituency and elsewhere, we have seen the diversion of funds from London to the northern regions.