Clapham residents face paying up to £203 extra per year in Lambeth Council tax

Lambeth residents face paying up to £203 extra per year in council tax after councillors voted to hike it. 

The extra costs will hit those living in Band H properties in the borough, who will now have to shell out an eye-watering £3,523.80 on council tax.

Residents whose homes fall under the most common council tax band C will have to pay an additional £90 per year. They will face an annual council tax bill of £1,566.13 from 2023/24.

The overall council tax residents pay is going up by 6.1 per cent on last year. The new council tax rates were included in Lambeth's Labour-led council's 2023-24 budget passed at a full council meeting on March 1. 

The council's Liberal Democrat opposition voted against the proposed budget, while the Green Party's two councillors abstained. 

Labour's budget also included £2.8 million in money to help residents with the cost of living, through direct payments to assist people with energy bills and other measures. The council has also committed to giving more pupils free school meals and has agreed to put an extra £3 million towards a fund which aims to ensure care workers are paid for their travel times and costs. 

Introducing Labour's budget to the councillors on March 1, Cllr David Amos, cabinet member for finance, said: "Governments continue to pass the burden of funding essential local services on to residents by raising council tax… Lambeth is no different and has been forced by the Tories to raise council tax to cope with the increased demand for essential services and rising inflation, so that we can maintain these services and stay on a sustainable footing.

"Our budget this year is all about standing up to those who have been hit hardest by the cost of living crisis. The budget proposals that we have developed will make a real difference to the households that are struggling the most."

Labour councillors voted against an alternative budget proposed by the Liberal Democrats and four proposals suggested by the Greens.

The rejected Liberal Democrat budget included plans to give a 1 per cent council tax discount to residents living in homes in council tax bands A to D, which would be funded by spending less on external consultants, senior staff pay and councillor's allowances.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Matthew Bryant, deputy leader of Lambeth's Liberal Democrat group, said: "Lambeth Labour is completely out of touch for rejecting our plans to give thousands of residents a council tax discount."

Cllr Nicole Griffiths, co-leader of Lambeth's green group, said: "We support much of the council's approach and all the plans and policies put in place that help mitigate the impact of rising prices for Lambeth residents.

"This year we have not suggested an alternative budget and instead put forward four proposals. Our proposals include a citizen's assembly for social housing, tackling empty homes and Lambeth's housing crisis, retrofitting homes, a workplace parking levy and a wide range of emissions-based parking charges."

Cllr Claire Holland, Labour leader of Lambeth Council, said: "This Labour budget is a budget I am proud of, a budget which stands up for the people of Lambeth.

"Lambeth Labour's budget sends a clear message: Labour is on the side of the people of Lambeth. It supports those hardest hit by the Tory cost of living crisis, it delivers on the priorities of Lambeth residents and it protects front line services"