Croydon households face the lowest ever increase in their council tax next year - just 0.8% at Band D.
The minimal increase will mean a Band D household finding only an extra £1 a month in 2010/2011 to pay for a host of public services including education, leisure, public protection, street cleaning, waste handling and social care. And there will be a substantial increase in the amount of money the council will be investing in the borough's infrastructure.
Next year's figures - which will be considered at Croydon Council's council tax setting meeting on 1 March maintain the established pattern of progressively reducing the level of increase. If approved, the figures being reported to the cabinet meeting on 22 February will mean the typical Band D household will be paying just £12 a year more than at present for council services over the next 12 months.
To peg the local tax on households down to an affordable level in extremely difficult financial times the council has curbed its own costs - lopping some £15.7 million from its spending plans in the year ahead. This brings the cumulative total of council spending that has been cut from its budget in recent times to more than £52 million. The council is already proposing to generate further efficiencies in the order of £25 million - although with mounting pressures on local government spending, this figure could easily double.
While the quest for ever greater efficiency has obliged the council to continuously review how it provides public services, next year's plans still focus on areas that matter most to residents. In line with public feedback there will be an unrelenting emphasis on improving public safety, cleaning streets, recycling, and school exam results.
The council is also set to help the economic recovery in the borough by investing in its highest amount of capital spending on infrastructure for many years. Almost £150 million has been earmarked for projects that will bring lasting improvements and leave Croydon with better roads, better schools, better parks and leisure and better recycling arrangements that will help continue the steep climb of ever-improving recycling performance in the borough.
Within the strategic approach to spending on the long term improvements, the council will be spending on several schemes that it expects to go a long way towards addressing residents' priorities. Following a second extreme winter, the council has lifted its budget for highway maintenance by £4.6 million meaning that some £7 million will be spent on repairing roads and pavements and improving infrastructure across the borough in the year ahead.
An outlay of £11 million will go on the Waddon leisure scheme which will bring a new pool to the borough. Essential maintenance at both Purley and New Addington will help prolong the lives of these amenities until they can be replaced.
A £12 million sum will help fund new council homes, investing in housing local people in decent quality accommodation. £1.5 million will be spent on upgrading the parks identified by local people as being most in need of improvements and £1 million has been budgeted to support a strategic investment in Fairfield Halls as part of a long term improvement in the borough's cultural offering.
However, by far the biggest capital spend during the year ahead will be on local schools, aiming to ensure there are enough places for all pupils whose parents want them to be educated in Croydon and also transforming both the quality of accommodation and teaching. All told nearly half next year's capital budget will go on improving education.
Council leader Mike Fisher said: "With financial stability in place we are not only setting the lowest council tax rise in Croydon's history but also managing a considerable investment of nearly £150 million in the borough's infrastructure. These are the fruits of prudence and a relentless efficiency drive in the face of the post recession squeeze on public spending. Households that have to budget their own expenditure should be able to rely on the council to deliver value for money."
Please do contact us with any issues or concerns you may have. We answer all our constituents' correspondence and value your comments. If you want your concern addressed by your local team, please follow the link above.
