This will mean an extra £36 per year for a Band D property. The council has successfully delivered savings of more than £155 million since 2010, whilst maintaining high levels of resident satisfaction and protecting frontline services as much as possible. However, Barnet Council is facing a budget gap of £75 million between now and 2024. Nearly £20 million of savings need to be made in 2019-20 alone.
To put that in context: the council currently spends more than £170 million every year supporting some of the borough’s most vulnerable individuals.
The Leader of Barnet Council, Councillor Richard Cornelius, said: This is not a decision we have taken lightly, following consecutive freezes on General Council Tax for the last nine years. The public sector as a whole has less money to spend – and at a time when we are facing a significant rise in demand for young people’s services and adult services.
“It means that we might need to stop doing some things or do them in a more efficient way. We are also looking at how we can find opportunities to generate more income. For example, making the best use of our estate, including our land and buildings, to generate rental income.
“Despite these pressures, we will continue to invest in Children’s Services and Adult Services. Our most vulnerable residents remain an absolute priority. We also have an exciting year mapped out ahead of us. We will see the arrival of two new leisure centres at Barnet Copthall and New Barnet this year. Each centre will boast state-of-the-art facilities, including three swimming pools, a five-court sports hall, and a modern gym, whilst a new Youth Zone for children and young people will open its doors in June.”