H&F say they have reduced the borough's debt by £24 million
Hammersmith and Fulham Council have announced plans to cut Council Tax by 3% next year – the fourth year in a row that this has happened.
The Council say that if budget proposals are officially approved early next year, the H&F plan will see average bills £122 cheaper than they were in 2006/07.
H&F Council Leader Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh says: “Some critics have argued in the past that cutting costs is unpopular – this is nonsense. What we are doing in Hammersmith & Fulham is hugely popular with local residents.
“All councils have a duty to respond to the perfect storm of social and economic challenges caused by Britain’s toxic debt mountain which is fast approaching £1.4 trillion. Britain is heading for bankruptcy unless we all start making radical changes that can truly deliver better services for less money.”
But opposition Labour politicians have hit out at the Council's move. "This is the most controversial stealth taxing, front line service cutting, self-serving administration in the country,” said Leader of the Opposition, Cllr Stephen Cowan.
Cowan accused Conservative-run Hammersmith and Fulham Council of introducing “over 500 new or increased stealth taxes during the last three years”, which he says include increasing meals-on-wheels charges, levying a new £12.40 per hour charge for essential home care on the borough's elderly, sick and disabled residents and putting parking up, with fines rising from £80 to £120.
The Council say that over the past four years they have reduced the borough's debt by £24 million saving more than £2.9 million a year in reduced debt payments. They say they have also made efficiency savings by axing over 1,000 council posts, selling off “costly office space”, making companies compete to run council services and closing “under-used services” such as the staff canteen.
Shepherd's Bush's Labour MP Andy Slaughter said: “Curious to boast about sacking 1,000 people in a recession. These are not bureaucrats as they insultingly say. They are mainly lower paid local people doing jobs like home helps, school meals, street cleaning. Cutting office costs is another odd claim when they are about to spend £35m on the town hall office project.”
“They would like to pretend that £42 million can be cut painlessly – rising to £63m over next two years. In reality it is a combination of cuts in front line services that people have relied on for many years, like home helps, increased charging for a whole range of services from evening classes to parking and reckless disposal of assets for a quick gain and a long-term loss,” he added.
The Council say they are “prioritising front line services that matter most to residents” and say they have achieved cleaner streets, the first new library in 40 years, more bobbies on the beat and millions of pounds injected into borough secondary schools. They say satisfaction ratings amongst residents are high, as proved by three independent surveys.
But opposition politicians have responded by saying that the new Shepherd's Bush library was delivered by the previous (Labour) administration, and that the millions being pumped into schools is coming from Central Government. Commenting on policing provisions in the borough, Cllr Cowan said: “The Council only invest £1.1m in policing which is less than it spends on propaganda.”
Meanwhile, an Environment Agency report earlier this year found that there had been a huge rise in flytipping over the past few years.
2 November 2009