■ ROTTEN BOROUGHS■
CIL-LY SEASON
COUNCILS continue their gung-ho enforcement of the community infrastructure levy (CIL). The fee is intended as a developer charge to fund local infrastructure, but councils also use it against residents – effectively a stealth home improvement tax – complete with opaque charging schedules (Eye 1652).
Merton recently charged Robynne Wong £86,759 for a conversion to her bungalow, despite, she says, initially telling her that her planning application was CIL-exempt. Now, as Wong tries to resolve the dispute, the south London council is chasing her for nearly £3,000 in late charges.