Hammersmith and Fulham Council announced a 3 per cent cut in Council Tax today, the sixth cut in the last seven years. The latest cut reduces the average “band D” council tax bill by £23.44.
Since 2007, Council Tax in H&F has fallen by 17 per cent, saving residents a more than welcome £667. Despite what some local authorities would like their residents to believe, a Council Tax cut doesn't mean that services will be decimated. H&F have some of the best schools in the country, their streets are some of the cleanest in London and crime has fallen significantly over the last seven years.
Local authorities up and down the county should take note and follow H&F’s lead to make savings and deliver lower Council Tax for their residents. In 2013-14, H&F will save more than £5 million through sharing services with nearby boroughs, £2 million through reduced debt payments, £3.3 million through reconfiguring services and £2 million through cutting unnecessary jobs.
With Local Authorities due to announce their rates for 2013-14 in the coming weeks, taxpayers will be hoping their council can be more like Hammersmith and Fulham and less like Rochdale, Harrow, York or any other council planning to increase rates. Politicians in those authorities seem oblivious to the fact that cutting tax does not mean compromising on services. They just have to work harder to make savings and cut out wasteful spending.