Tory Revolt over Council Tax

I was struck that Tory Surrey Council is revolting over the Council Tax freeze.  Eric Pickles is offering a one off grant if Councils decide not to raise Council Tax.  That may seem a good idea, but the problem is that the grant is time limited.  Down the line it disappears, and any Council that accepts it is left with a black hole in its finances.  The policy is in fact a cunning tactic to further shrink local government.

I sometimes wonder what could have been so awful about Eric Pickles time as leader of Bradford Council that he seems to hate local government so much.