An extra £1.5 million is set to be added to the council tax support scheme for 2022/23, which is expected to reduce bills for 7,000 eligible households “with most of those seeing their bill reduced to nil”. At the council meeting the leader of the opposition, Green Cllr Jonathan Bartley, reiterated his concerns that the added support would not come into effect until 2022/23 and that the council plans to raise funds through enforcement. Cllr Andy Wilson, cabinet member for finance and performance, previously said there is a precedent for having to go through a long consultation before the extra support is introduced. But he said between now and the outcome of the consultation the council is putting forward funding to “essentially create the same amount of relief for residents as they would receive under the new council tax support scheme”.
Lambeth’s cabinet has approved a 4.99 per cent council tax rise for residents. The rise, equating to just under £80 extra per year for residents in Band D properties, is the biggest increase that can be made without the council holding a referendum. Lambeth’s finance lead said the Government has left councils no other choice. The move, along with the rest of the council’s budget for the coming year and its medium term financial strategy for 2021/22 to 2024/25, was approved at a cabinet meeting on Monday (February 8). Cabinet already approved proposals for more than £15 million in extra cuts over the next four years in December.
Lambeth Council staff are set to lose their jobs in the coming years as plans for a £3 million restructure are in the works. Looking at the council’s financial planning report on Monday (December 14), cabinet approved proposals for more than £15 million in extra cuts over the next four years (2021 -2025). This is added to the previously agreed cuts of £28 million from 2020 to 2024. The council is also forecasting an overspend of £43.2 million this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with significant pressures in residents services, adult social care, and children’s services. Government funding has not covered the whole sum, leaving a gap of £10 million.