Kingston councillors have voted to raise council tax by the maximum amount allowed without a referendum and increase their allowances. Kingston residents face having one of the highest council tax rates in the capital – with the average band D household set to pay £2,246.71 for the 2023/24 financial year.

The council's budget for the next financial year was approved at a meeting on Thursday, March 2nd, with a 4.99 per cent rise on council tax bills – including 2.99pc for general use and 2pc for adult social care. The approved budget means the council is set to spend £161.3million on services in the next year, including a new £720,000 community resilience fund to help locals with the cost of living.

Lib Dem council leader Andreas Kirsch said the authority had balanced the budget while facing the continuing impacts of Brexit and Covid along with the cost-of-living crisis, increasing demand, labour shortages and funding cuts from central government.

Councillor Kirsch said: "Given all these uncertainties which the council faces in the coming years, we have to remain financially prudent. We have to make arrangements for the future despite these uncertainties whilst ensuring we deliver good services to our residents and communities." 

He said the budget helps make Kingston more financially sustainable, protects support for vulnerable residents, delivers vital services and addresses the climate emergency – for a "fairer, greener and safer Kingston". He said the council had found extra savings and made services more efficient but that it relies on council tax and business rates.

Kingston Council breaks down how the 2023/24 budget will be spent (Credit: Kingston Council)

But Conservative and Independent councillors opposed the budget. Conservative councillor Rowena Bass said: "This is a depressing budget, lacking in vision, charging the full 5pc increase at this time of increasing fuel, food and other costs to residents – a 27pc increase since 2018, yet further cuts to services, increasing potholes, our town centres mostly in decline and a lack of leisure facilities for increasing population."

Independent councillor James Giles said the budget "takes money out of the pockets of Kingston residents who are all already struggling financially from the trauma and hardship of the current economic crisis" and "does not address the needs" of residents. He added: "The government does have a lot to answer but you as the administration, and no one else, is choosing to raise council tax by 4.99pc." 

Councillor Giles put forward an amendment to freeze councillors' allowances for 2023/24 so the cash can be given to community groups in grants but this was voted down. Lib Dem councillor Olly Wehring said members do not have to take the allowance and can also donate it to charity.

Lib Dem councillor John Sweeney said the authority has the best waste service in the South London Waste Partnership – with "high levels of collection, very few missed collections, we have high recycling rates, we have clean streets, we have clean parks".

The hike means the average band D household in most areas of Kingston will pay £2,246.71 in council tax when taking into account Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's share, which is set to increase by 9.7pc to help fund police, fire and transport. Residents on a low income or claiming certain benefits can get help on their bills through the council tax reduction scheme.

Kingston Council explaining how the 2023/24 budget will be financed (Credit: Kingston Council)

Councillors also approved a 4.04pc hike on members' basic allowances for the 2022/23 financial year, backdated to April 2022 – from £8,623 to £8,971 a year. This represents a total increase of £32,500 in the current financial year, covered by the existing budget.

London Councils' independent remuneration panel recommended in 2022 councillors should get £12,014 a year in basic allowances. A Kingston Council report said guidance from London Councils suggests authorities consider applying a 4.04pc increase to all members' allowances.

Lib Dem councillor Steph Archer said: "We want to see people from all walks of life able to appear in this council chamber, standing up for their communities, making decisions informed by a diverse range of views and perspectives." 

She added: "If we refused to uprate members' allowances for some ideological reason here in Kingston, we'd be essentially saying that we don't want our politics to be diverse and inclusive."

Councillor Giles called the move a "slap in the face to residents". He said: "The fact remains that councillor allowances are being increased whilst councillors simultaneously vote to increase the tax burden on residents and I, for one, am getting rather bored of the administration making up various stories about why they should be getting an allowance increase."

The budget and increase in members' allowances was approved at the meeting.