Bedford Borough Council ran a consultation questionnaire about changes to council tax support. Thanks to hundreds of locals responding as a result of a Green Party campaign, the result wasn't what the Tory-run council wanted. On the crucial question 5, about putting new bills of hundreds of pounds on Bedford's poorest living in smaller properties, more answered 'disagree' than 'agree'. The public rejected the proposals. Yet the council has been pressing ahead just as if the result was agreement.

If a consultation means anything, when a result comes back that those proposing it don't like, they must re-think their proposals. Immediately pressing ahead with exactly the same proposal shows bad faith and brings the idea of democratic consultation into disrepute.

We're calling on the council to respect the outcome and change the proposals to ones that don't put big, unaffordable bills on the poorest. People who are already choosing between heating and eating shouldn't be facing bills of hundreds of pounds a year that they can't afford to pay.