Wandsworth Council could raise council tax by \u00a3958 for a Band D property, an increase of 94%, under proposals described as “outrageous”.<\/p>\n
The Conservative-led London borough said the rise was needed unless the government reconsidered cuts to its funding. Under changes, announced earlier this year, the council said it stood to lose \u00a384m a year in funding by the end of the next three years.<\/p>\n
Plans to increase the council tax were heard at an extraordinary council meeting on Tuesday but a final decision will not be made until early next year.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said the changes were needed to reform the “outdated” council funding system.<\/p>\n
Wandsworth has a long history of setting low council tax. While an increasing number of London boroughs have seen council tax on a Band D property rise above the \u00a32,000 mark, in Wandsworth, council tax on an average Band D property is currently \u00a31,020.35. <\/p>\n
Of that figure \u00a3509.84 is the part that the council sets and \u00a3510.51 of that is the Greater London Authority (GLA) precept set by the mayor of London.<\/p>\n
Wandsworth Council, along with Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, is currently consulting on plans to use a piece of legislation called the Sustainable Communities Act to try to challenge the government proposals that would see its central government funding reduced. <\/p>\n