Most of what a local authority spends is subject to legislation and the grant system, the budget making process of a local authority can be both frustrating and revealing. It is possible to cut a car used as a vanity project by the political leader of the council. Few, if anybody would miss the excess publicity promoted by this council, and Tower Hamlets residents will sleep easy without millions of pounds of taxpayer’s money being spent on a unique, Faith Buildings initiative.

National and local government does not have a private money supply. Every penny spent by government, is a penny raised from the taxpayers, through income tax, VAT and other methods they have of extracting your money.

Interestingly, the lower the taxation demand, the higher the revenue yield. This is why the government of France is in such political and financial chaos as opposed to the government of Germany, where efficiency delivers fine public serve and massive overall prosperity.

This is why my group in Tower Hamlets proposed a council tax reduction, but improvements in essential public services. We live in very difficult times and we should all be aware of a simple fact of economic life from the German Chancellor, Europe’s most successful political leader. “Europe accounts for just over 7 per cent of the world’s population, 25pc of its economy, and 50pc of global social welfare spending.”

To continue with the public services we expect, then government nationally and locally must grasp economic reality. Polls suggest that nationally the public understands this. In Tower Hamlets they deserve better than what they have had over the past four years.