Council tax refusenik jailed

A retired social worker today became the first female pensioner to be sent to prison for refusing to pay council tax arrears.

Council tax rebel Sylvia Hardy, 73, was sentenced to seven days by Exeter magistrates court today.

She was found guilty of failing to pay arrears of £53.71 in council tax from last year - plus £10 costs - and was in breach of a 56-day suspended committal order issued earlier this year.

The court's chairman, Louis Crowden, said: "If everyone paid their debts on the basis of what they thought appropriate this country would descend into anarchy.

"You have been given every chance to pay and have wilfully refused to do so."

Mr Crowden said the court had no choice but to commit Ms Hardy to prison for seven days, telling her: "You may think you are a martyr but you are not."

As Ms Hardy, from Exeter, was led away, the chairman of Devon Pensioners' Action Forum, Albert Venison, shouted at the bench: "You are on a completely different planet you people."

There were other shouts of "pompous ass" and "shame" from other supporters of Ms Hardy who were packed into the small courtroom.

Ms Hardy marched to the court from her home accompanied by banner-waving supporters, and was greeted by a huge crowd of other backers before she went in to face the magistrates.

She was told that a telephone offer of payment for her outstanding arrears had been made, but she politely refused it.

In court the clerk, Paul Vincent, asked her whether she intended to pay the outstanding amount today or at any time, and Ms Hardy replied: "No."

Prosecutor Kevin Hughes told the magistrates: "She has made it clear to the council she has no intention of paying the £63.71.

"We are here to ask you to consider whether she should go to prison for seven days."

Ms Hardy, who refused an offer to speak to the court's duty solicitor, told the court: "I made a decision to withhold part of the council tax demanded by Devon county council because the increases during the past 10 years have risen by 50%.

"In one year alone the increase was 18.5% and in another 10%. My occupational pension increases by only 1.7% a year and the inflation rate by between 1% and 3%.

"On top of this tax, we are required to pay the highest water rate in the country, plus ever-increasing payments for gas, electricity, telephone, etc, well above the inflation rate."

She said incomes for the majority in the south-west fell far behind these demands, and people were losing the ability to have any kind of quality of life.

"Undoubtedly this is totally unfair and has got to stop," said Ms Hardy.

Earlier this month retired vicar Alfred Ridley was jailed for 28 days for refusing to pay a council tax increase.