Council approves budget with maximum tax hike and millions for frontline services

Camden Council has passed its budget for the coming year, with council tax to rise by 4.99 per cent alongside millions set aside for social care, housing and cost-of-living support.

Last night (Monday 3 March), councillors voted through measures to tackle spiralling demand for frontline services and ease the strain on the Town Hall’s coffers.

Finance chief Camron Aref-Adib (Labour) said the council tax rise would raise an estimated £7m in revenue , arguing that local government funding had been “stripped to the bone” by previous Conservative governments.

“Make no mistake, this Labour administration knows where our priorities lie – towards creating a fairer borough and supporting the most vulnerable”.

The budget includes £34m in expenditure for adult social care (ASC), £11m for children’s services, £20m investment in social housing, and £8m in temporary accommodation.

A further £500,000 has been set aside to fund more homelessness prevention staff to help stave off the number of people seeking emergency housing.

But leader of the opposition, Cllr Tom Simon (Lib Dem), said the council needed to do more on issues like homelessness and rough sleeping, “brazen” drug-dealing, petty crime and climate change.

“Labour has run this council since 2010. You’re running out of excuses for failing to address the problems affecting Camden.”

The Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups submitted their sets of amendments to the budget – both of which suggested renting out space at the council’s headquarters at 5 Pancras Square.

“This is the fourth year in a row we’ve proposed making use of these assets, and each year Labour has made excuses,” Cllr Simon added.

“Given the great pressures on the council’s finances, it is both lazy and complacent not to make better use of these opportunities.”

A Labour source later told the Citizen: “I find it so funny that every year the opposition parties think if only we rented out floors at 5 Pancras Square then our finances would be amazing.”

The Lib Dems also proposed funding to hire more community safety and climate officers, review public toilet provision across Camden and plant 245 more trees in the borough.

They would also “harness the creativity” of secondary pupils by running a competition of ideas for ways to reduce the carbon footprint of polyester-based school uniforms.

The Conservative group’s amendments included restoring weekly bin collections to certain streets, making garden waste collection free of charge, and halve the council tax rise to 2.5 per cent.

Cllr Steve Adams (Con) was forced to defend the latter proposal after health and adult social care chief, Cllr Anna Wright, said it was an example of the Tories “lack of seriousness and attention to detail” as it would threaten funding for social care.

Since 2016, local authorities which provide ASC have been allowed to increase their ciunci tax rates by roughly two per cent to fund the service.

But the Conservative leader reassured her it was “costed” and “nothing to do with taking anything away from social care – I wouldn’t do it to you.”

Labour’s budget has also introduced a 100 per cent council tax premium on second homes in the borough, but has also had to spend £15m more just to keep up with the inflationary costs of social care.

A further £2m for the borough’s cost-of-living fund, which distributes food vouchers and supports residents with energy payments and financial aid.