Camden votes to raise council tax by 4.99 per cent

Council tax in Camden is set to rise nearly five per cent to help fund social care and balance Town Hall’s books after years of cuts from central government.

Camden’s cabinet agreed on Wedesday night (21 February) to raise council tax by 4.99 per cent from April, which means an extra £1.09 per week for Band D households.

Cllr Richard Olszewski, cabinet member for finance and transformation, said the “severity” of government cuts has forced the tax hike “to safeguard Camden’s valued services”.

The council tax rise breaks down as 2.99 per cent on the “core” council tax level and two per cent for an “adult social care precept”.

Councillors will now vote on the council tax hike at a meeting of full council on Monday.

Cllr Olszewski, speaking after the cabinet meeting, said: “Since 2011 we have seen our government financial support cut by around half, losing us £118 million in funding.

“At the same time we are seeing increased demand for our services – particularly for adult social care, with the number of people in Camden aged 75 or over increasing by 30 per cent between 2013 and 2023, and those aged 90 or over rising by over 50 per cent.”

Cllr Olszewski said the council has already cut costs by £76 million in the last four years and redeveloped its properties to invest £1 billion in Camden by 2025.

He continued: “This ensures that, despite only receiving two percent government funding towards our investment programme, we can still build the homes, including at council-level rents, schools and community facilities, our communities need.

“But the severity of the cuts handed down to us by the government means that, despite this work, we still need to propose a council tax increase to full council in order to safeguard Camden’s valued services.”