In the article 'Leader's warning for chancellor' (Advertiser, October 25) in which Nick Adams-King calls for reform of how local authorities are funded, why did he apparently not be precise in demanding complete reform of the way in which Council Tax is organised?

So many local authorities are complaining that they are seriously underfunded. The main reason must be that the current Council Tax is so unbalanced that those residents who dwell in properties valued at £800,000+ have been seriously underpaying their contribution to local finances for years. It cannot be fair that someone occupying a mansion valued at £2 million is paying just 3 times more Council Tax than someone in a small flat or maisonette valued at just £200,000.

The current tax bands are still based on valuations made on 1 April 1991! Who's fooling who in 2024? 

So, let all local authorities push for the necessary reform -  and Mr Adams-King could be the leader in this. As the valuation of properties is largely done in bands, groups of houses can be valued together so the exercise should not take months on a local basis. What will be essential is the creation of at least 3 new bands above the current 'H'.

In areas where there are relatively few higher-band properties, top-up funds should be made available by the central government to an agreed formula. Otherwise, local funds should be derived solely from the new property tax and it should be left to local authorities alone to persuade their residents of the need for the amounts of tax for each category of dwelling to provide them with sufficient funds overall. 

After all, if we expect efficient local services we should all be prepared to pay our bit on a fair pro-rata basis.

Michael Bull

Ashley Meadows

Romsey