A message from the Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council

2008/2009 message

I’m delighted to announce that for the second year in a row Hammersmith & Fulham Council has cut council tax by 3%. This is the first time we have achieved two consecutive council tax cuts.

Since council tax was introduced in April 1993 the average bill in Hammersmith & Fulham has increased by 131%.  This has particularly impacted on residents with low to moderate fixed incomes who have struggled to meet these rises.

We have managed to reduce the tax burden while delivering high quality, value for money services.   This is reflected in the fact that we are one of only a small number of councils to receive the Audit Commission’s top rating for the quality of our services. On top of that resident satisfaction continues to rise year on year.

Our vision is simple. We want to deliver high quality council services at the lowest possible cost to the taxpayer. We want to make our borough safer and work with the police to crack down on crime and anti-social behaviour. We also want a cleaner, greener borough.

For example, the Council is pumping in £1.5 million as part of a £4 million investment over two years in 24-hour policing in town centres. We have also allocated £1.5 million of improvements to our parks.

How have we managed to deliver top quality services AND reduce tax? By waging war on waste and bureaucracy, introducing competition to council services and by cutting the council’s debt. For example:

• the number of staff we employ has fallen by 200, including cutting policy advisor posts and centralising human resources.
• we are market testing £90 million of council services and are expecting to deliver up to £5 million in savings while improving service quality.
• we have reduced our historic debt by £17 million, saving council tax payers £1.5 million a year in debt interest payments. 

Let me assure you we won’t be resting on our laurels. Our mission is clear: lower taxes, less waste and better council services.

Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh

Leader, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham