Greg Hands MP has welcomed Britain’s biggest council tax cut being agreed in Hammersmith & Fulham, whilst residents in Kensington & Chelsea will receive back £100 of their own money in the form of a rebate. Meanwhile, a third of local authorities are proposing council tax rises this year.
Bills will be 3% lower in Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) from April 2014 and 20% lower than eight years ago, when the Conservatives took control of the Council.
The Hammersmith & Fulham cut, was agreed at the annual Budget Council meeting last week (Feb 26). It means H&F taxpayers will pay the third lowest council tax in the UK while residents’ satisfaction with services has reached an all-time high.
It is the seventh year out of eight that H&F Council has cut its share of the bill – which will now be £735 for a ‘Band D’ taxpayer from April 2014. The last time council tax was lower in H&F was in 1999.
MP for Chelsea and Fulham, Greg Hands, said: “It’s fantastic that H&F have again been able to cut council taxes yet again this year, while maintaining efficient and high quality services. As the London and national economies start to improve, confidence is returning, and so it is important people are able to hold on to the money they earn and spend it on their families."
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea council taxpayers will have their council tax frozen for the fifth year in a row, following a Kensington and Chelsea Cabinet decision last month. And in addition they will receive a one-off £100 rebate, thanks to an overachieving efficiency drive. Thanks to the cashback and the continuing freeze in council tax - which began in 2010/11 - residents in bands E to H will be paying less council tax in 2014-15 than they were in 2001 when allowance is made for inflation. Residents in bands A to D will be paying less than in 2000.
However, according to analysis from the Local Government Chronicle, one in three authorities is planning to increase council tax for 2014/15, while 65% of authorities are set to freeze and 4% intend to cut.
Both councils say the tax reduction is possible as they have saved money by: sharing management posts with neighbouring boroughs through the Tri-Borough initiative.
Greg added: “The innovative tri-borough system of management, shared between Hammersmith & Fulham, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster Councils should serve as an example a best practice to others. It’s good for councils, good for services, and good for residents.”
Meanwhile, overall satisfaction with H&F Council services has climbed to 74% - up from 66% in 2012 - according to the council’s annual residents’ survey 2013.