Harrow Council looks set to make a council tax hike of almost five per cent as its cabinet approved the budget proposals for 2021/22.

Senior councillors agreed to the suggestions put forward at a meeting yesterday (Thursday, February 11) following a review of the council’s finances.

The proposals include a 4.99 per cent council tax increase, of which three per cent will be ringfenced for adult social care, and the management of a funding gap of around £8 million.

This gap will be covered through some reserves, which Cllr Adam Swersky, who is responsible for finance at Harrow Council, explained had been “specifically set aside” as well as “a further tightening of expenditure”.

The council expects to recover more than £1 million through reduced use of Freedom Passes, while around £250,000 will be cut from its environmental services salary budget.

Cllr Paul Osborn, leader of Harrow Conservatives, pointed out Labour administrations had increased council tax by the maximum amount permitted without a referendum every year since the group took control in 2010.

However, Cllr Graham Henson, leader of Harrow Council, responded by referencing the fact its funding support from Whitehall had dropped from £52.1 million to £1.6 million under the stewardship of non-Labour governments over the past nine years.

The budget proposals for next year will be presented at a full council meeting on February 25, where they are likely to be debated further.

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