Have your say - Budget consultation 2019 - 2023
Residents and businesses in Havering are being urged to have their say in how the Council sets its budget for the next four years.
The public consultation will launch on Wednesday 1 August.
Funding for the Council budget comes from many sources such as Council Tax, business rates and grants from Government, Mayor of London or other income streams. Each year the Council sets a budget to decide how much it is able to spend on services for Havering residents and businesses and how much income we need to fund this.
In January 2018, the Council consulted with residents on the budget for 2018/19, but now it needs to look at our Medium Term Financial Strategy for the next four years. The Strategy shows that without action the Council will be faced with an increasing budget gap of more than £37m over that period.
Councillor Damian White, Leader of the Council, said:
“We are facing a dramatic reduction in the amount of Revenue Support Grant that Havering Council receives from central Government. By 2020/21 reform to the grant system for funding local government will mean all local authorities will need to be self-sufficient.
“This has come at a time when demand for Council services is increasing due to a growing population in general, and in particular, an increase in the number of elderly and very young people in the borough.
“Many areas of the Council’s budget are demand driven, particularly children and adult social care, as well as housing. We work hard to provide all key services that our residents require and we always put the needs of the borough first.
“We must in law set a balanced budget for the next financial year and to have a strategy in place for dealing with the gap over the next three financial years.
“This means making tough choices about funding local services and we need our residents and businesses to tell us what services are a priority to them, and where we should be making savings.”
The Budget consultation will take place from Wednesday 1 August – Sunday 30 September 2018. Visit www.havering.gov.uk/consultations to find out more and take part. Alternatively, paper versions of the consultation are available in the Town Hall and all Havering libraries.
To give as many residents as possible to have their say in the consultation the Council will be running a series of events throughout the borough. Visit www.havering.gov.uk/consultations for more details.