The Brent Cabinet yesterday approved the Council budget for 2024-25 with Deputy Leader Cllr Shama Tatler saying it was the worse situation they had encountered yet: 'We didn't come into politics to make these sorts of decisions.' Cllr Butt stressed that they had to be honest with residents about they decisions they had been forced to make.
The budget includes a council tax rise of 4.99% (2% ring-fenced for Adult Social Care), 7.7% increase in council rents and £8m in 'savings'.
Cllr Anton Georgiou addressing the Cabinet said that the Liberal Democrats would come forward with a 10 point alternative budget.
Council Tax Bands including GLA Precept
10 comments:
I see Butt’s misanthropes are to make Council Tenants pay for their 14 years of mishandling of Granville New Homes farrago, that’s on top of the original purchase price. Brent’s total mishandling of the repairs and warranty have now dumped well over £20,000,000 costs onto the current and future Council Tenants. Shame on you Butt and Co.
Bankruptcy awaits Brent
I wonder if our wonderful B~ent councillors even considered not taking yet another pay rise, or even better, taking a cut in their pay? I doubt it.
Perhaps Cllr Tatler and Cllr Butt can please be equally "honest' re the following...
(a) why exactly have Brent Council given planning permission for so many student accomodation flats in Brent which contribute nothing at all to the council tax pot from the students nor the building owners but will instead put a huge extra strain on our already depleted local services and resources???
(b) why exactly did Brent Council give £17.8million of our NCIL money to multi-billion pound developer Quintain for the steps outside of Wembley Stadium??? That huge amount of money could have been used for local projects supporting many vulnerable local residents
(c) why have Brent Council given Wembley Stadium permission for even more events to be held there when neither Wembley Stadium, nor the concert promoters, nor the multimillion pound artistes pay for a full clean up afterwards??? Instead it's all subsidised by our hard-earned council tax!!! Also all the Public Space Protection Orders around the Stadium are stringently enforced by Brent Council on event days paid for by our council tax but Brent Council don't enforce the same restrictions in our local neighbourhoods on a daily basis!!! How much overtime are we council tax payers paying for Brent Council enforcement officers to work late nights and weekends at these Wembley Stadium events??? Even if they take time off in lieu that impacts on the work they should be doing for us local residents on a daily basis
(d) when will Brent Council stop producing The Brent Magazine??? Our council tax does not need to fund an editor and other staff when regular news items can be uploaded to the Brent Council website - we certainly don't need printed copies wasting resources and money on paper, inks and distribution. Add to that the cost of photographers attending council events when photos could easily be taken on mobile phones.
Anon 6 February 2024 at 15:25
Agree about the Brent propaganda publication as in the Brent Magazine should be binned asap. Correspondingly, the videos of Brent’s aspiring film stars, ie cabinet members via Brent social media should stop immediately. How much do these pathetic patronising videos cost us? Brent is very good at self-promotion, but why should Brent Council Tax Payers have to pay for their self-promotion? This must stop.
The overall rise facing Brent residents is 5.8% because the Labour Mayor of London has been allowed to raise his share of the Council Tax by almost 9% for the 3rd successive year.
The mayor now takes almost a quarter of the figures shown in the 1st table above.
The Council tax would be much less if all the self publicity and the waste was eliminated.
Dear Anon 7 feb 10:19
What waste is this? The problem with the two Authorities shoratge of funds are without doubt due to the 14 years of Tory osterity. Blame the Tories.
Have to agree that the two Authorities are badly run wil some terrible decisions, but most problems are down to the Tories and will take years to recover from.
If Brent Council can't even get the accounts for the tiny Barham Park Trust correct how can we trust them to manage the accounts and decisions for the whole of Brent???
Dear Anon 7 Feb 12.54 - How about £4 million spent on the Altamira Housing project in Stonebridge with not a single new home built as the 1st example?
Or the £2 million still planned to be spent on the Civic Centre?
And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
I am sure others can add to the list.
Brent, the third poorest Borough in London, and the council allow building of some of the most expensive rentals in the country, with no thought for current residents who can't afford to live here anymore.
Shame on Brent's Labour Council.
The Tories are not making these poor local decisions wasting our hard earned council tax!
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