Londoners in almost half of the capital’s boroughs are set to pay average council tax bills higher than £2,000 per year.
It’s being called London’s council tax bombshell, and it means residents in 15 of the capital’s 33 local authorities will be charged that amount from next month if they are living in Band D properties or higher.
Figures released today show the highest bill will be in Kingston, charging £2,374 for the year, while the cheapest will be found in Wandsworth, which has frozen its portion of council tax, leaving residents with a standard bill of £961.
The other councils paying more than £2,000 on average include Bexley, Croydon, Harrow, Havering, Richmond, Sutton, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, Lewisham and Redbridge.
That £2,000 average cost is approximately £700 more than Band D residents were paying a decade ago.
The yearly price rises have coincided with years of austerity, but in January the government announced an additional £600 million support package for councils across England.
London Councils, the cross-party body representing the capital’s boroughs, said after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s budget earlier this month that they were continuing to face a “relentless squeeze” on their funds.
In this episode of The Standard podcast our Local Democracy Reporter Noah Vickers explains the capital’s council tax rises, and discusses what needs to be done to better support local authorities in London.
Noah also considers how council tax rises will play a part in the upcoming general election.
Listen above, find us on Apple, Spotify or wherever you stream your podcasts.
