Town hall’s portion to remain the same for 2013/14

The borough’s council tax is a step closer to remaining the same as last year after town hall bosses agreed to freeze their portion.

The budget for 2013/14 which was passed by Brent Council yesterday has kept the rate for a band D property in Brent at £1,058.94.

If the draft budget proposed by the Greater London Authority (GLA) is agreed the overall council tax at the same band including the GLA precept will be £1,361.94 in 2013/14 the same as the previous three years.

The budget for next year will spend around £284 million on the provision of local authority services which will be paid for from central government grants, business rates and council tax.

As part of budget changes the cost of short term on-street parking fees will result in the introduction of flat rate charges costing 50p per 15 minutes, with a lower charge of 20p for stays of up to 15 minutes.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, said: “I know how difficult it is for residents at the moment which is why we have taken action in this budget to help ease residents’ financial pressures. We have frozen council tax again and will reduce on-street parking charges across the borough, and supported a new scheme to save you money on energy bills.

“At the same time we are striving to protect Brent’s front-line services despite further cuts this year.

“However, I want to be open with residents that the coming years will be very tough for the council and residents alike as costs rise and central government grant funding falls even further.”