Hammersmith & Fulham to cut council tax

Hammersmith & Fulham council is cutting its council tax by 3%. This is good news for council tax payers as council tax accross London has gone up by 86% since 1997.

Council tax is set to rise across London again this year, so Hammersmith & Fulham are bucking this trend. What is more they are not cutting front line services to do it. Here is what they are cutting:

• £3 million saved from improved efficiency like contracting out some services and sharing others with other boroughs
• £5 million from reducing bureaucracy, staff and office costs including cutting political advisers and policy officers.
• Over £1million from increased income from expanded controlled parking, events and selling advertising space.
• £3million from getting better value for money from suppliers and from using new IT systems to cut costs.
• £0.5million from reduced debt payments.

What is impressive is that they are doing this whilst Ken Livingstone is increasing his share of the take.

Well, I suppose if Wandsworth can do it, so can Hammersmith & Fulham.

Of course all this has happened since May 2006 when Hammersmith & Fulham decisively changed hands from Labour to Conservative. We will have to see if central government reduces their grant now they are a Conservative council. Seems to be the way it works elsewhere.

You can also see this interview with Cllr Mark Loveday, Cabinet Member for Strategy on 18doughtystreet.com.

Update 12:36

I forgot to mention that Hammersmith and Fulham councils website is here, and their press release on the subject is here.