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Labour praise council tax rise as ‘pretty good’
Bills set to go up in line with inflation
COUNCIL tax bills will rise in line with inflation this spring with Town Hall bosses blaming the government for “challenging years ahead”.
Total bills faced by residents will be £1,331.35 at band D and £1,183.43 at band C – a 2.5 per cent rise on last year, councillors agreed last Wednesday.
In stark contrast to the fireworks of last year’s budget, when campaigners decried cuts from packed public galleries and the mayoral mace was smashed by rampaging protesters, a low-key debate marked the announcements by finance boss Councillor Janet Grauberg of modest increases for tree-planting, youth facilities, and measures to tackle climate change.
Cllr Grauberg said: “I realise this isn’t exciting, but this budget is about delivery.
“We said we would spend our money on prevention and that is what we are doing.” She warned that future spending would be threatened by “the worst government settlement in decades”, however.
Opposition critics from the Green and Labour parties called on the ruling Lib Dem and Conservative coalition to reverse last year’s cuts and dig deeper into existing reserves but struggled to find new threats to services in the financial plan.
Labour finance spokesman Councillor Julian Fulbrook repeatedly praised the “pretty good” budget, which contained “very good things”, though he said the credit for the borough’s economic stability belonged to the Labour regime ousted in 2006.
“There are some distress rockets from community, cultural, social services and youth workers all over the borough,” he added, but acknowledged that Cllr Grauberg had made provision for dealing with them.
Leader of the Green Party, Councillor Adrian Oliver, highlighted what he called a 5 per cent cut to mental health service provision.
He said: “We are rejecting the misnamed ‘efficiency savings’ being imposed on mental health services – the already overstretched, and much-needed provision that tries to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in Camden.”
Residents’ bills are made up of a combination of the Mayor’s precept, paid to the Greater London Authority for services including TfL and the police, and council tax.
The Mayor’s precept will be £309.82 at band D and the council’s chunk at band D will amount to £1,021.53. The total council budget will be £259 million. |
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