Council tax to be cut by 3 per cent
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
08/01/2007
As bills continue to soar across the country H and F Council is bucking the national trend by cutting tax by 3 per cent and pumping more cash into the front line services that matter to residents most.
H&F residents are set to see their council tax bills go down for the first time in over a decade as the council proposes a 3 per cent council tax cut. The reduction is widely expected to be the biggest drop in London – maybe the whole country.
Londoners have seen their bills increase more quickly than any other tax since 1997 placing a huge burden on everyone, not least pensioners, the less well off and those on fixed incomes. The Mayor of London has also just announced a double whammy of huge fare rises on buses and the tube as well has his annual increase in his share of the bill.
Council leader, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, says, “This is the first budget since the May 2006 election and we are combining lower tax with more cash for things that matter to residents. The council is pumping in £1.5million over two years to pay for round the clock beat policing in our town centres as well as spending more on schools and providing free homecare for our most vulnerable residents.”
Across the 32 boroughs and the City of London the average local tax burden has soared by 86 per cent since 1996-97, about twice the rate pay has gone up, so, as Councillor Greenhalgh explains, tax cuts are possible without affecting front line services.
“It’s true that the Mayor of London’s hike, in his share of the bill, will eat into a large part of the savings we have made,” continues Cllr Greenhalgh. “We have no control over what he does and although we have highlighted our concerns to him in the strongest possible terms – he just doesn’t seem to care.”
Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance says, “It’s good news for taxpayers in Hammersmith & Fulham that the council is leading the way with a good cut that will start giving pensioners and hardworking families more to spend on their own priorities. We hope this starts a trend across London.”
Hammersmith & Fulham’s cut comes as other councils are moving in the other direction, piling the pressure on their taxpayers and struggling to keep rises below the government imposed ceiling of 5 per cent. And it’s not just inefficient councils that taxpayers should be frightened of.
“Residents should compare our efficiency to the Mayor of London’s tax escalator which will once again go up in 2007/8. He is going to hammer taxpayers with an increase of well over 5 per cent as well as clobbering commuters with a 33 per cent hike.”
The budget will be examined in a series of public scrutiny meetings before going to full council for final approval on February 28. Go to Scrutiny homepage
