AFTER 9 years of no increase in their council tax, Haringey Council is consulting to increase its council tax in order to support deal with increasing budget pressures.
£122 million reduction in government funding has mean hard cuts in service and the budget have had to be made. The council has seen its workforce almost halved by 45%.
With a further £19.6 million need to be made from the council budget, its Leader Cllr Joseph Ejiofor and finance chief Cllr Pat Berryman have looked a t made new proposes to achieve this .
According to a paper put before recent scrutiny committee meetings at the council, among the savings will be getting rid of the “director of regeneration” post, using fewer consultants, and pursuing commercial debts from business tenants.
The council says it will still be looking to invest further cash in children’s and adults’ services, and a youth services programme.
The school meals pilot will also receive a funding boost.
The plans are being put to a public consultation that runs until January 20.
Cllr Ejiofor said: “Our borough – like most of the country – is facing huge financial challenges. Years of funding reductions by central government have forced us to make cuts and our workforce has been almost halved, at the same time as demand for our services continues to rise, in large part as a result of the government’s policy of austerity.
“Our priority will always be the needs of our residents and we are committed to protecting frontline services wherever we can, and ensuring the right support is there for those who need it most. But there are no easy decisions left to make.”
