Council Tax (New Valuation Lists for England) Bill

I understand that the right hon. Gentleman said that. I muttered across the Chamber to the Liberal Democrat spokesman that I was not sure that local people in the right hon. Gentleman’s constituency who wanted to buy a home in the area would necessarily agree with that point. Of course they are welcome to move to Oldham and Saddleworth, but I have to point out that house prices in some parts of my constituency are as high as, if not higher than, prices in his. It is not true that all housing growth areas are in the south-east, or that the relative increase in prices has occurred exclusively in the south-east, yet that was the assumption implicit in many of the speeches made by Opposition Members this afternoon. I am more than happy if they continue to make that assumption, because it does them electoral damage. I conclude my remarks on the amendment by asking the House to reject it. I thank the hon. Member for Mole Valley for tabling it because it has allowed us have a clearer debate on the purposes of revaluation and the methods involved, but I hope that he understands that his proposal has the potential to create significant problems for local government finance and the operation of the council tax system.