INSIDE SUTTON: Poor and disabled residents will be forced to pay Council Tax to help the Liberal Democrat-run council balance its budget.
EXCLUSIVE by DAVE BURTON
Bad choices: Barry ‘Basher’ Lewis, the LibDem council leader who is pushing through increased charges for the poor and disabled
A meeting at Sutton Civic Centre tonight will make the first moves towards rubber stamping the council’s budget for 2025-2026, with proposals around a 4.78% Council Tax increase likely to be voted through to the full council’s budget meeting next month.
The LibDems want to take around £1.6million from the borough’s poorest residents, who will be forced to pay at least 5% of Council Tax, while disabled residents will face extra care charges as their special allowances are now considered as income. The impact could leave many disabled people more than £400 a month worse off.
The 4.78% increase in Council Tax in Sutton is less than that being applied by many other councils in London. It means that Council Tax for benchmark Band D properties in Sutton will increase by £103.54, to £2,269.72 a year.
There are two elements to the overall Council Tax charge: the amount set by Sutton Council itself, and the precept it collects on behalf of the Mayor of London to fund the work of the Greater London Authority.
The GLA precept will rise from £471.40 to £490.38 for a Band D property, an increase of 4%. These amounts are due to be agreed by the London Assembly on February 25.
In his comments on the budget proposals, Barry “Basher” Lewis, the council leader, placed much emphasis on proposed capital projects, rather than the day-to-day spending on services that residents rely on. These budgets are not interchangeable, and residents often become angry that the council spends freely on capital projects.
Recently, at a meeting of the environment and sustainable transport committee, an extra £1.85million was made available for street lighting, with a member of council staff apologising for a procurement error that made the extra spending necessary. A council mistake that cost £1.85million – at a time when the council wants to charge poor and disabled residents more to raise… £1.6million.
The decision to force more residents to pay a minimum of 5% of Council Tax is estimated to raise £670,000. The social care charges for disabled people will raise a further £900,000.
“It is essential to balance the books, but also important that Sutton residents and businesses can see how the Council is using our own resources, along with outside investment, to build a secure future,” Lewis said.
“New affordable housing will help reduce the council’s use of expensive temporary accommodation. Investors are supporting the London Cancer Hub in Sutton, a world-leading cancer discovery centre. This will bring numerous benefits to Sutton, and space for growing businesses. We are creating a brand new and sustainable Civic Hub within an existing shopping centre in Sutton town centre. 93% of Sutton High Street shops are occupied, increasing to 100% in some of the smaller centres. All this will mean new jobs, homes and opportunities that will improve residents’ lives.”
‘Morally reprehensible’: Tory councillor Jane Pascoe was critical of the charge changes
While there are nationwide increases in residents requiring social care services and huge demands on temporary accommodation needs, it is LibDem Sutton’s decision to heap charges on the poor and disabled.
At the last meeting of full council, the adult social care charging policy was challenged by Conservative councillor Jane Pascoe, who criticised the council for failing to conduct an impact assessment to identify the effect the policy would have on the disabled.
“To continue this policy without a cost-benefit analysis is economically illiterate,” Pascoe said.
“And without a proper impact assessment, is morally reprehensible.” It may be legally dodgy, too.
“It’s a choice. We can still do the right thing,” Pascoe told the meeting. The LibDem councillors chose to vote down the Tory motion.
Many Sutton residents will be scathing of their council for targeting the poorest and most vulnerable residents to balance its budget while bragging about its extravagant capital projects. A political example of a nice Jaguar on the drive, and nothing in the fridge.
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Read more: Council Tax proposal to hit Sutton’s disabled and unemployed
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