How much is your council tax going up? London boroughs with biggest bills revealed
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London’s 33 borough councils are starting to reveal how much their council tax bills will rise from April. Newham is seeking an exceptional 9.99 per cent hike in a bid to prevent itself from going bust. In addition, Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has already said he wants his share of bills to increase by four per cent, primarily to provide more funding for the Metropolitan police.
This will increase the mayor’s “precept” from £471.40 to £490.38 for benchmark band D bills, a rise of £18.98. Taken together, many households will pay in excess of £2,000 a year or £200 a month, as bills are normally paid over 10 successive months.
A total of 15 London boroughs already charge in excess of £2,000 a year for band D bills: Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Brent, Camden, Croydon, Enfield, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Kingston, Lewisham, Redbridge, Richmond, Sutton and Waltham Forest. There are concerns that the dire finances of many town halls will see them target the poorest Londoners for the first time, meaning that carers, lone parents and people with disabilities will receive council tax demands.
Greenwich leader Anthony Okereke said: “Our draft budget serves as a stark reminder of the financial realities created by decades of underfunding by the previous government. This damage cannot be done overnight. “The good news is that we’ve received a better financial settlement this year, which will help us continue improving services. We’ve also been successful in finding innovative ways to reduce the costs of temporary accommodation, which have been crippling other councils.”.
