Council tax bills in London’s most expensive borough are set to rise by an average of almost £125, it can be revealed.
By comparison, the capital’s cheapest borough, Westminster, will add just over £9 to its share of bills – though its residents will also have to pay £38.55 more to London mayor Sadiq Khan after he hiked his city-wide “precept” by 9.7 per cent.
It will mean that average council tax bills in London are likely to range from almost £2,250 in Kingston to just over £900 in Westminster.
Lib-Dem run Kingston has published plans for an increase of £85.30 at the benchmark Band D level.
When the mayor’s precept is added, this would add £123.85 to average bills in the borough – taking Band D bills to £2,246.71.
Kingston was already one of three London boroughs where households paid an average in excess of £2,000. The others, Harrow and Richmond, are yet to publish their budget plans.
Kingston said it was increasing its share of bills by 4.99 per cent, the maximum permitted by the Government without the need for a local referendum.
It said it had become “increasingly challenging” to provide services due to a “dramatic” cut in Government funding since 2010. Council leader Andreas Kirsch said residents on low incomes could apply for council tax benefit.
He said: “More than half, 57.5 per cent, of everything the council spends each year goes to providing residents with social care support, and these needs are rising all the time.
“Despite the national economic pressures and spiralling demand for essential support, unlike other local authorities, the government has reduced Kingston’s central grant from £66m in 2010 to almost nothing this year. While the council receives some specific grant funding, we have to rely primarily on what we receive from council tax and business rates.”
Westminster is to increase its share of Band D bills by £9.37, taking them to £477.91. When Mr Khan’s £434.14 precept is added, Westminster households will pay an average of £912.05.
The council, now under Labour control, is proposing to increase the amount of council tax that helps pay for adult social care by two per cent but freeze the remainder of the bill.
Westminster said it had put concerns about the cost of living crisis at the “heart” of its budget.
All children attending State primaries in the borough will receive free school meals. Families will also be offered help to buy school uniforms.
The council is to spend a further £85m buying 270 homes in or near Westminster over the next three years to increase its stock of temporary housing.
Westminster leader Adam Hug said: “The cost-of-living crisis and rising rents is putting huge strain on our temporary housing stock with around 2,750 households currently living in temporary accommodation.
“This significant investment won’t solve the housing crisis, but we can at least help some of those people to live in a more settled home that better meets their needs in Westminster.
“Rolling out free school meals is something teachers and parents have welcomed. When we hear of pupils being sent to Westminster school with two biscuits for lunch, this is an area where I know residents will want us to invest.”
