MP James GrayNORTH Wiltshire MP James Gray is stepping up demands for the Government to drop its planned revaluation of homes and council tax bands.

The move is expected to cost householders in Wiltshire hundreds of pounds extra as their homes are moved up a band to take account of massive price rises.

In a pre-election interview, Prime Minister Tony Blair told the Advertiser the changes would be "revenue neutral" and urged people to wait for the fine detail. But the Conservative MP has wasted no time in the new Parliament to call for the revaluation to be scrapped altogether.

Mr Gray claims that the proposals will affect people in the North Wiltshire and Swindon area disproportionat-ely, because house prices have risen more quickly than in areas in northern England.

Mr Gray said: "If we have a revaluation we will end up with a substantial number of people on higher bands.

"In comparison places in the north of England like Liverpool will not see such a change.

"Once again we would be subsidising the poorer areas of the country."

The value of homes is being reassessed for the first time since 1991. Those whose properties have risen more than the average could be placed in a higher band and face higher bills.

Mr Gray said the current council tax system "works broadly well" and the key to keeping council tax down is to rein in local authority spending.

Mr Gray has joined 33 other MPs in signing a Commons Early Day Motion calling for the abolition of the revaluation.

In March, Mr Blair said: "There's a lot of work to be done before this comes in so I think people should wait until they've seen what it actually looks like."