Onslaught

Published: 20 January, 2011

• RICHARD OSLEY’S article (Labour urged to rethink council tax freeze by own party, January 6) and Meric Apak’s January 13 letter raise a crucial issue for the fate of public services.

To clarify, Labour understands the tight finances that households are facing and we committed only to consider council tax rises in order to protect services for the most vulnerable. We did not commit to a freeze when services are under attack however.

The vicious onslaught that the government has unleashed on Camden means that cuts will directly impact the most vulnerable. The cuts to Camden’s funding mean a £80m to £100m budget gap must be filled by the council. Camden’s cabinet have made extraordinary efforts to identify over £40m in efficiency savings but services for our borough’s most vulnerable people will still be hit by cuts that the government is forcing the council to make. I believe this necessitates consideration of a council tax rise this year to lessen the impact on some services and spread some of the burden to those most able to pay.

It is true that the government has instituted what some have described as a bribe to force council’s to freeze council tax this year. This amounts to a grant equivalent to a council tax rise at half the rate of RPI inflation, amounting to around £2.5m in Camden’s case. Councils must weigh this attempt to penalise any authority that tries to pay for services locally against the funds that could be raised by a modest increase in council tax.

A rise of around 5 per cent, in line with RPI, would raise around £5m this year and £15m over the next three years. This money could help to protect some much valued public services which are now under threat. A larger rise would, of course, yield more funds with which to protect services. We must balance the £15m or more that a rise in Camden’s element of council tax would raise with the grant funding that would be lost if we do not implement a freeze.

The scale of government cuts means that a rise would not protect all that is under threat but it would give an opportunity for our borough to cushion the blow. Tough choices will still have to be made but our children and families, with threats to children’s centres and the play service, and our older people, with threats to social care, day centres, luncheon clubs, good neighbour schemes and more, deserve that we consider all options.

The Tories and Lib Dems are on an ideological mission to shrink public services and the government is ensuring that one way or another Camden pays the price. The direction and speed of government cuts mean vulnerable service users cannot be fully protected. It is essential that we in Camden, both council and residents, debate how best to share the burden and which services we would choose to protect if a council tax rise gave the borough a shield against some cuts. I am debating these matters with colleagues and welcome people’s views on issues so vital to services.

CLLR THOMAS GARDINER
Labour, Kilburn ward