Harrow Council have proposed a draft budget with residents invited to ‘have their say’ until 15 January 2023 when the public consultation closes.
Harrow residents and businesses are invited to have their say on the council’s draft budget for the next financial year.
Posting via their website, the Council said: “With the rising cost of living impacting many of our residents, the budget will support and safeguard Harrow’s most vulnerable people.
”Harrow faces significant financial challenges, with rising costs, increasing demand on services, and low funding levels compared with other authorities.
“In addition to this, the current year’s budget was met by using £14.7m of one-off reserves, which is not sustainable and needs to be put right.”
Cllr David Ashton, Cabinet Member for Finance said: “Our budget for next year focuses on ensuring that the money we have is spent on the things that matter most to Harrow residents – and that it delivers the council’s key priorities.
“With every budget under pressure, we must be disciplined and make sure we maximise every pound of public money that we spend.
“Despite the pressures, we will continue to put residents first by focussing on essential services like social care, street cleansing, waste and housing.
“However, there will be some difficult decisions that need to be considered so we can continue to deliver our services against a backdrop of inflation and continued financial challenge.”
The final budget will be approved in the Harrow Council annual budget meeting in February.
The consultation is now open until 15 January 2023, giving the public an opportunity to comment on the proposals for the 2023/24 budget.
The draft budget gives both national and local context in which the council’s budget is set against. It includes the proposed increase to council tax by 4.99% (including the Adult social care precept of 2%) to help meet the budget shortfall. The increase is substantially below the current rate of inflation, currently at 11.1%.
Harrow residents are invited to take part in the consultation and respond using the on-line questionnaire.
