Hammersmith and Fulham Leader to stand down

Monday December 12, 2011

Leader of H&F Council, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, with '3' sign in Furnivall Gardens

The Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council (H&F) – seen by many as one the most influential council leaders in the country – has announced that he intends to stand down.

Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, who has been leader since 2006, has overseen a council that is on track to reduce council tax five times out of six while cutting its historic debt burden in half.

During that period resident satisfaction increased to a record level, H&F was given the highest score possible by the Audit Commission for the quality of services and the borough won the prestigious LGC 'Council of the Year' award in 2010.

Standing down will enable Cllr Greenhalgh to focus on how to decentralise power from the town hall and Whitehall to the neighbourhood so that local public services are more accountable to local people.

He is helping to pioneer plans for a Neighbourhood Budget for the White City Opportunity Area. Nearly £70 million of taxpayers’ funds – or £17,000 per household – is spent in this area every year. Despite this unemployment is twice the borough average, the area has high levels of overcrowding, relatively low educational attainment and relatively high levels of crime. H&F wants to pool central and local government's spending into a single budget pot, involve residents far more in how that money is spent and ensure that every penny is focused on improving the life chances of the people living there.

He said: “I am keen work with Whitehall and the town hall to develop a new approach to public spending at a neighbourhood level while continuing to serve the residents of Town Ward where I both live and work," he said.

“I do not think the people of White City are getting value for money out of that £70 million, nor do I think are wider taxpayers,” said Cllr Greenhalgh. “I want to focus that money on getting much better outcomes for people living there and ensuring that the neighbourhood is fully involved in how that money is spent.”

He went on to say: “Being leader of the council is a remarkable challenge which I have been thrilled to have taken on. I am immensely grateful for the energy and professionalism of my fellow councillors and staff in making possible such a radical transformation of the council over the last five years.

“We can be so proud of what we have achieved in becoming such an influential, trail blazing council. From cutting tax to paying off debt, to widening choice in schools and housing, from fighting crime to a cleaner environment we have blazed the trail. We have been the guiding star by which other councils seek to navigate. I am confident that our course is firmly established for the future."

Recently H&F, Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea announced plans to combine services and management costs to save £33.4 million-a-year across the three areas by 2014/15.

Another part of that reform, is seeing H&F on course to reduce its accommodation footprint by half which has been a major contributor to the Council’s ambition to reduce its historic £176 million debt burden to £78 million by 2014, saving local taxpayers £9.1 million a year in debt payments.

H&F has some of the cleanest streets in London, six of its parks have been given the national accolade of 'Green Flag' status and the Council pioneered spending on round-the-clock town centre police. This year saw educational attainment reach its highest levels ever with the best ever GCSE results, three new schools opening and H&F being placed as the top borough for the number of children going to leading universities.

Cllr Nick Botterill, Deputy Leader of H&F Council, said: “I hope many people across H&F and beyond will want to thank Stephen for his tireless dedication to this borough and to local government. Thankfully, he will still continue to play a major role through his work with the community in White City.

“It is extremely difficult simultaneously to cut taxes, improve services and reduce the debt burden and yet that is just what Stephen has done at H&F. He has lifted the spectre of debts from future generations of residents - there can be no higher accolade than that.”

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, said: "“Stephen has been an outstanding council leader. He always understood that the role of the council was to stand shoulder to shoulder with the public. People in Hammersmith & Fulham are getting a better service at a much cheaper price. Hammersmith and Fulham is truly a council to be proud of.”

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, declared: "Stephen has made a fantastic contribution to local government over very many years."

Read the Prime Minister leads tributes to Cllr Greenhalgh story»

 Notes to editor:

• The Local Government Chronicle’s ‘Top 50 Most Influential in Local Government’ cited Cllr Greenhalgh as the most influential council leader
• H&F won the Local Government Chronicle ‘Council of the Year’ Award in 2010
• Resident satisfaction increased from 53% in 2006/7 to 59% in 2008/9

 What others have said:

“By delivering a 3% per annum cut in council tax while simultaneously getting a best-possible Audit Commission ranking and improving public approval ratings, Cllr Greenhalgh has achieved something close to magic.”
Tony Travers, London School of Economics (2009)