On BBC London tonight, Westminster City Council's Cabinet Member for Value for Money and Finance, Cllr Paul Fisher, outlines how the government's cuts to Westminster's funding are so large that closing the gap will likely require a combination of savings and council tax rises. Speaking to political correspondent Susana Mendonça, Fisher said the government's own assumptions imply a council tax increase of 75 to 100 per cent for Westminster, with a figure as high as 160 per cent having been floated, and noted that neighbouring Wandsworth has been particularly affected by the funding cut. The report comes as three Conservative council leaders, including Westminster's Cllr Paul Swaddle, have written to the Prime Minister accusing the government of "devolving blame" for the rises, and as London Councils reports a £5.2 billion budget gap across all London boroughs over the next four years.
Cllr Fisher said
"It's that the Labour government recognises that their cuts to our funding are so large that the only way of plugging that gap is probably through a combination of savings and council tax rises.
"Now, in the case of Westminster, speaking for Westminster alone at the moment, the government assumed council tax increases of 75 to 100%.
Now, I know that the figure of 160% has been floated, and Wandsworth has been particularly affected by the Labour government's decision to cut funding."
