Three percent reduction agreed at budget meeting
Plans to cut Council Tax bills by three percent have been
agreed at a Hammersmith and Fulham Council budget
meeting.
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.
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.”
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 say that at the same time as cutting tax, they are improving services and cutting debt. They say £13 million of red tape is being cut in 2009/10 by reducing staff numbers, office space and making better use of IT.
However, critics say the Council Tax cuts have led to a cut in services. The anonymous writer of the hfconwatch blog points to "the failure to pass on the recent cut in VAT, the numerous increased fees and charges, the introduction of charges for home care, the huge hike in charges for meals on wheels, and the £1 million cut in schools funding".
2 March 2009
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