News Walthamstow

Labour councillor suspended for not supporting cuts to council tax relief

Tom Connor, who represents High Street ward, refused to back a move that will see thousands of low-income residents pay more in council tax, reports Marco Marcelline

Inset: Councillor Tom Connor, Credit: Waltham Forest Labour

A Labour councillor has lost the whip for abstaining during a vote to cut council tax support for thousands of residents.

Tom Connor, who is the ward councillor for Walthamstow High Street and sits on the housing scrutiny and licensing committee, was the only Labour councillor to abstain during the vote on 12th December.

The vote was pushed through amid a raft of cuts that will reportedly save the council £2.23million. The move means that from 1st April thousands of residents on low incomes who previously only paid 15% of their council tax bill will pay as much as 43%.

Confirming he had been suspended following a hearing on 9th January, Cllr Connor told the Echo: “A decision that would increase the financial hardship of those residents already known to be in poverty is not something I could vote for.”

Speaking at a full council meeting on 12th December, Waltham Forest Council leader Grace Williams said the borough needed to “balance our budget” in order to survive a “deep” financial crisis and £23m deficit. 

As reported previously by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council will implement a new income-banded scheme, where factors such as income, capital, and household sizes will be taken into account.

It means that only those with “limited capabilities to work” or who have children younger than five will qualify for the 85% discount.

Waltham Forest Conservatives leader Emma Best criticised the council tax scheme cut in October, saying: “You really have to question the priorities of this Labour council.

“They can find money for pet projects like unnecessary citizens’ assemblies and have quadrupled the number of senior staff in the council, putting millions on the wage bill.

“But now they want to cut council tax support to some of those most in need of our help.”

Cllr Connor was elected to represent the Hoe Street ward in 2018 before successfully standing for election in High Street in 2022.

A retired local government worker, Cllr Connor was supported by the socialist pressure group Momentum when he was selected to stand for election in 2017. 

A 2017 Facebook post from Momentum that celebrated his candidacy for Hoe Street describes him as a “fantastic, long-standing [Jeremy] Corbyn-supporter”. 

In November 2023, Cllr Connor joined two other councillors in signing a letter that pressed the Labour leadership to back an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

The letter, also signed by councillors Shabhana Dhedhi and Gerry Lyons, was signed by a total of 330 Labour councillors from across the country and was one of the first challenges the party leadership faced in regards to its position on Gaza. 

Waltham Forest Labour said: “In December, councillor Tom Connor abstained on a vote at full council. This action broke the collective responsibility rules of the Labour Party regarding an important budget matter. Following a hearing the decision was taken to suspend the whip.”


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