Greenwich borough’s street cleaning, libraries, and children’s services face cuts as the council seeks to make £33.7 million in savings next year.
The council’s fortnightly news sheet, Greenwich Info, will go digital-only, while the annual Together and Sparkle in the Park festivals will be cut back to run every other year.
School crossing patrols also face cutbacks and remaining pay-and-display parking bays will go cashless, while residents with garden waste bins face having to pay for them.
Greenwich’s portion of council tax will go up by 4.99 per cent from April, bringing in about £6 million. Combined with the mayor’s precept, which is up by 8.6 per cent, a Band D home can expect to be charged £1,851 a year – up 5.8 per cent on last year.
A total of 118 different proposals to plug the remaining £33.7 million hole in the council’s finances have been put forward and will be discussed by a scrutiny panel next Tuesday.
The proposals include:
Street sweeping could be cut back to as little as monthly in some areas, news that may alarm those who live in streets that already have a patchy service. It is currently weekly, although a scrutiny panel heard last month that this target was frequently being missed. This would involve 22 job losses and would save up to £1.2 million a year. Outsourcing gully cleaning could bring in another £29,000.
Possible cuts to libraries and leisure centres. The council is in negotiations with Greenwich Leisure Limited, its contactor, and thinks it could save £1.05 million next year by closing sites (“co-locating services”) and cutting services. More details could emerge after April.
Cuts to children’s centres could bring in £2 million a year – with centres likely to close and services reduced. Greenwich says its £5.6 million budget is bigger than any of its SE London neighbours, with Lewisham spending £1.6 million and Southwark £2.3 million.
School crossing patrols could be scrapped unless schools pay £8,000 for them, which is the current rate charged to private schools. Alternatively, they could be removed in areas covered by School Streets. This could save £200,000 a year by 2028.
Charges for garden waste collections could be introduced from early 2026. The council estimates that a £70/year charge could bring in £667,000/year by 2027/28. Neighbouring Lewisham charges £93.50 while Bexley charges £65. In addition, abolishing the afternoon waste collection round could save a further £300,000.
Holding the Together festival in Charlton Park every other year would save £53,000 annually, with the next event postponed until 2025. Greenwich says this would mean it would avoid coinciding with major sporting events and Lewisham Council’s People’s Day festival in Catford. Sparkle in the Park – which has been held in different parks across the borough – would also be held every other year: the council says that Section 106 funds from developers can no longer be spent on these events. There would also be a £20,000 cut from the annual £179,000 Greenwich Festivals budget, meaning a total saving of £73,000.
Removing exemptions from council tax for some of the borough’s poorest residents could save £1 million a year. As reported earlier this month, the council is planning to review its council tax support scheme.
Steep cuts to ward budgets – pots of money that are allocated to councillors to give to projects in their areas – would mean they are slashed to £9,500 or £13,500 per year, depending on the size of the ward. They are currently £20,000 or £30,000. This would save £247,500 in the first year.
Parking enforcement could be outsourced, bringing in £298,000 a year.
Greenwich Info, the council’s fortnightly newssheet, would go digital-only. Binfo, as it is nicknamed because of its most likely destination in people’s homes, is thought to be the most frequently-published council paper in the country. Binning the print version would save £150,000 a year. While council officers say that it is going because the council has a digital-first policy, soaring newsprint costs are a more likely explanation.
Removing pay-and-display parking and replacing the remaining machines with a cashless system could save £185,000.
Greenwich wants to expand landlord licensing – currently in operation in parts of Woolwich, Plumstead and Shooters Hill – to other areas of the borough, which could bring in £1.05 million, Better enforcement of HMO licensing could net another £90,000.
Greenwich has lost about £150m in funding since 2010 when government cuts and population growth are considered, council officers say in their report – adding that while the population grew by 13.6 per cent between 2011 and 2021, some of the data used to calculate funding has not been updated since 2000.
Two weeks ago Mariam Lolovar, the cabinet member for inclusive economy, business and skills, warned that councils across the country faced a “dire” financial situation because of a lack of government funding.
Matt Hartley, the Conservative opposition leader, told The Greenwich Wire: “Government funding for Greenwich is up nearly £55 million since 2019 – but like all councils, Greenwich is dealing with increasing demand and cost pressures.
“Labour’s response in this year’s budget includes long-delayed measures to finally get to grips with millions of pounds of wasteful spending that opposition councillors have been calling out for years – including shocking examples of waste like Greenwich Info.. If only they had dealt with this waste years ago, then some of the other, more difficult, decisions that are now being considered would be less difficult.
“I will be scrutinising Labour’s full budget proposals carefully in the coming days and weeks.”
Council rents will go up by 7.7 per cent, although these go to a separate, ring-fenced fund for housing.
Full details of the proposed cuts are on the Greenwich Council website.
Comments are closed.