Three per cent reduction agreed at budget meeting
Plans to cut council tax bills by three per cent have been
agreed at a Hammersmith and Fulham Council budget
meeting.
The council claims that after three years of cuts, local residents are expected to be around £175 better off
compared to the average London borough.
The cut means residents in the lowest Band A will pay
£764.48 in 2009/2010 compared with £781.73. Those in the highest Band H will pay £2,293.42 compared with £2,345.18.
At the same meeting, directors and all councillors agreed to a pay freeze as a signal of the council’s ongoing commitment to cutting costs.
Council Leader, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, said: “We are responding to a time of great financial uncertainty for many hardworking families. Our approach in freezing member allowances and directors' pay is symbolic of our value for money ethos which runs throughout the council.
" We understand the economic pain that is out there and we are responding. The rigorous scrutiny of every penny spent starts at the top.”
Official figures from the Office of National Statistics show a 26 per cent rise in the number of Hammersmith and Fulham residents claiming job seekers allowance, jumping from 3,231 in June 2008 to 4,040 in January this year.
While many London councils are freezing tax levels, Hammersmith and Fulham is one of only two cutting the bill, along with neighbouring Kensington and Chelsea.
The council says than £13 million of red tape is being cut in 2009/10 by reducing staff numbers, office space and making better use of IT.
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