Council's draft budget published

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It proposes a below inflation council tax increase over the next three years

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has published draft budget proposals which, if approved, will guarantee a below inflation council tax increase over the next three years. It promises a real cut in council tax and better services for everyone in the borough.

Plans are being considered which will cap the council tax increase at 1.5 per cent for the next three years. The budget report will be examined in a series of scrutiny meetings early in the New Year before going to full council for final approval on February 22.

“We are considering, for the first time ever, a guarantee that council tax bills would rise by less than inflation forecasts for the next three years,” says council leader, Councillor Stephen Burke. “This is thanks to tight budget control over recent years; major improvements in our financial planning; and a bigger than expected grant from the government.

“We want to keep bills as low as possible for all taxpayers but this is particularly good news for pensioners and people on fixed incomes. We want to end the uncertainty and worry people feel about how much their bills will be. We want Hammersmith & Fulham residents to be able to rest assured there will be no nasty shocks for the next three years.”

The proposed budget also contains plans to scrap all home care charges from March 2006. Nearly 2,000 older and disabled people who currently benefit from the home help service could see all charges for shopping, personal care and cleaning abolished if the plans go through. Hammersmith & Fulham was one of the last councils in the country to bring in charges for its home helps back in October 2000. It could now be among the first to abolish them if the current proposed budget is agreed in February.

Cllr Burke continues, “I’m absolutely delighted to be able to propose offering this service free of charge once more as part of our budget discussions. With an extra £5million from the government this year, and another rise planned for next year, together with substantial efficiency savings, we now feel that we can propose a long term commitment to a free service again.

“The service is a real life line, enabling hundreds of people to carry on living in their own homes rather than going into residential care.”

£80.8 million is also set aside for schools and pupil related services in the draft budget – up £5.3 million on last year. This represents a 6.9 per cent increase for every pupil in the borough. Local schools will decide for themselves how they want to spend the extra money.

The proposed budget will be open for discussion at a series of scrutiny panel meetings in January. These meetings are open to the public and agendas, including the detailed budget report, are available on the council’s website www.lbhf.gov.uk or from libraries. The final budget will be considered by the full council on Wednesday 22, February.

December 21, 2005