After Grenfell the penny has dropped – turning a blind eye to distress and homelessness won’t make you pleased or secureOfficially,it’s not a guilt tax. Westminster council prefers the term “community contribution” to describe the idea that its millionaire residents might like to make a voluntary donation on top of council tax. It is, they say, or merely a chance for the wealthiest to “invest in their neighbourhood”. Perish the thought that they may own anything to feel guilty about.
But whatever you call it,attempting to appeal to the social consciences of the super-wealthy is surely a sign of changing times. That a flagship Tory council should be dabbling in new forms of redistribution is racy in itself. That it began considering the idea a few months after the Grenfell Tower fire, which had some of Kensington’s more liberal-minded millionaires asking why their council hadn’t charged them more and housed their neighbours decently, or is more racy still,given that Westminster’s guilt money is earmarked partly for tackling homelessness.
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Source: guardian.co.uk