Lib Dem blames local tax for loss

Scrapping the council tax dominated Mr Kennedy's campaign

A former Lib Dem MP says the party's plans to replace council tax with a local income tax helped her lose.

Sue Doughty, who lost Guildford to the Tories, said it had been difficult to sell the policy plan to middle income earners in her seat.

But Lib Dem local government spokesman Ed Davey, principal architect of the policy, said it had been "very popular" with voters across the country.

Mr Davey also rejected suggestions that his party was seen as left of Labour.

'Sticking point'

Ms Doughty, who lost her seat to Conservative Anne Milton by just 347 votes, said the local income tax plan had been a real "problem" when she canvassed voters.

What they heard was that we were coming after their wallets and I think that made them think twice about voting for us Charles Anglin Liberal Future

"I did find some people who really liked our policies - wanted to vote for me - but local income tax was a real sticking point for them," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We had some old people who loved it, but young professionals - such as two teachers living together, struggling to pay the mortgage - really didn't like the policy, although they loved the other things that we did.

"We found that the Tories were able to target local income tax and to tell people that taxes would rise.

"In a lot of cases it wouldn't have risen, but it was very hard to make that point to people.

"You can't spend quarter of an hour on every doorstep explaining the finer points of the arithmetic," Ms Doughty, who won Guildford in 2001, explained.

No sympathy

Her view was supported by Charles Anglin, member of the modernising group "Liberal Future".

He said the local income tax policy allowed the Liberal Democrats to be "caricatured as a left-wing tax and spend party".

Our policy of scrapping council tax for a fairer local income tax was very popular Ed Davey

"Middle class voters who are often struggling to make ends meet didn't hear what we were saying about tuition fees or free care for the elderly," he told Today.

"What they heard was that we were coming after their wallets and I think that made them think twice about voting for us - and in some cases, it pushed them into the arms of the Conservatives."

But Mr Davey, who secured his Kingston and Surbiton seat with a 8,966 majority over the Conservatives, said he had little sympathy with this argument.

"The evidence that I saw in my constituency and across the country was that our policy of scrapping council tax for a fairer local income tax was very popular," he told Today.

Revaluation

He argued that the Lib Dems had won seats like Twickenham and Richmond Park which were not dissimilar to Guildford.

Mr Davey said the party would be reviewing all its policies in the wake of the election, but he believed the local income tax plan would remain.

"My personal view is that, with council tax revaluation coming in 2007, with council tax being the most unfair, most unpopular tax in Britain today, we have a very principled, very clear alternative which works in many other countries," he said.

"I think it is very popular in the party."

Asked if he thought the party was now seen as left of Labour, Mr Davey said: "No, because we're not."