information on your council tax 2019/20 · you can apply for council tax reduction if you are a...

Information on your Council Tax 2019/20

We are determined to ensure that ourborough’s elderly, sick and vulnerableresidents get the support they need tolive healthy, fulfilled and independentlives. That is why your council tax bill willinclude an additional two per centincrease to raise more than a millionpounds for vital social care services.

We have pledged to build a thousandnew homes for local people on councilland and this year we will startdelivering on that. We will also fund afull package of improvements for our

council homes, are investing inregenerating our estates in Batterseaand Roehampton and will support thedelivery of more than 15,800 newhomes over the next five years. Werecognise that many people live inprivately-rented accommodation so wehave appointed a tenants’ champion tofight for the interests of people whorent their home from private landlords.

We know that local families valueexcellent schools, parks and libraries. I’mproud that all of our libraries remain

Delivering good value servicesThis year we will again work hard to make life better for ourresidents and provide some of the best services in London, whilekeeping the financial burden on our council tax payers low bycharging around half the London average.

ContentsInformation on your council taxContacts 5

Council tax 6

Council tax reduction scheme 6-7

Reductions for disability 7

Discounts 8

Exemptions 9-10

Council tax valuation bands 11

Council tax liability appeals 12

Our charter 13

Our service performance 13

Complaints 14

How we spend your council taxCouncil tax amounts 15

Combining the council tax for two authorities 16

Wandsworth Council 18-21

Greater London Authority 22-24

Environment Agency 25

Western Riverside Waste Authority 26

London Pensions Fund Authority 27

open and we are continuing toinvest in them. We’re even buildingnew ones – including a new £3mlibrary for Wandsworth Town. Wespend more than £4.3m a year oncleaning your streets and willcontinue to crack down on litteringand flytipping.

Through common sense financialmanagement, and setting andfunding priorities that make a realdifference to the lives of ordinarypeople, we again pledge to do allwe can to make Wandsworth aneven brighter borough for all.

Read about our priorities atwandsworth.gov.uk/brighterborough.

Cllr Ravi GovindiaLeader of Wandsworth Council

Council tax staying lowWandsworth’s Band D council tax bills are set to be thesecond lowest in the country again in 2019/20 and aroundhalf the London average.

Wandsworth£770

Hammersmith & Fulham£1,083

Richmond£1,804

Merton£1,553

Lambeth£1,445

Kingston£1,871

Kensington & Chelsea£1,208

Westminster£753

Council tax bills 2019/20. Band D equivalent properties including GLA precept. Provisional figuressubject to final approval from councils concerned and may not account for local levies.

4 Council Tax 2019/2020 Help maintain a low council tax - set up a direct debit today

Help keep bills low by paying with Direct Debit. Phone (020) 8871 7799or visit www.wandsworth.gov.uk/counciltax

telephone our automated direct debit line (020) 8871 7799 Council Tax 2019/2020 5

ContactsCouncil tax service:

Council Tax ServiceWandsworth CouncilPO Box 65962London SW18 9HN

Website www.wandsworth.gov.uk

Contact us online www.wandsworth.gov.uk/contact/counciltax

Sign up for online services www.wandsworth.gov.uk/counciltax/account

Billing enquiries (020) 8871 8081

To set up a Direct Debit (020) 8871 7799

Payments by debit/credit card 0800 021 7763 (free of charge)

Fax (020) 8871 8148

Benefits service including council tax reduction enquiries:

Benefits ServiceWandsworth CouncilPO Box 500London SW18 2PN

Website www.wandsworth.gov.uk

Contact us online www.wandsworth.gov.uk/contact/benefits

Benefit enquiries: (020) 8871 8081

The information contained in this leaflet forms part of the statutory demand notice.The required contents are set down in the Local Government Finance Act 1992,Schedule 1, Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rating (Demand Notices) (England)Regulations 1993 (SI 1993/191).


Your council taxCouncil tax is a form of local taxation that helps pay for local services, such as refuse collection, care for the elderly, and the policeand fire service.

The council tax came into existence from 1 April 1993.

It is charged on all domestic properties and is based upon the value of theproperty as assessed in 1991. You will receive your council tax bill at the end ofMarch each year, or as soon as you tell us you have moved into a property.

The amount that you pay also includes certain other amounts that the councilcollects on behalf of ‘precepting’ bodies such as the Greater LondonAuthority (GLA).

Council tax reductionCouncil tax reduction is a local scheme to provide assistance for peoplewith their council tax. The scheme is set by the council but must followsome government set rules, including protection for pensioners.

If you are on a low income or in receipt of benefits such as Job SeekersAllowance, Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit you maybe entitled to council tax reduction. The amount of reduction you are entitledto depends on certain factors such as:

• Any income or savings you may have• The circumstances of any other people who live with you• The amount of council tax you pay

You can apply for council tax reduction if you are a person liable for counciltax and your savings are less than £16,000.

If you are a pensioner, you may be entitled to more help through the PensionCredit Scheme. If you are not already getting Pension Credit you shouldcontact the Pension Service on 0800 991234.

If you are of pension age you can claim second adult rebate, based on theincome of any second adult in your property.

If you are entitled to either council tax reduction or second adult rebate this will be paid into your council tax account and you will get a bill for thelower amount.

To find out more about our local scheme or to make an application forcouncil tax reduction visit www.wandsworth.gov.uk/benefits.


If you receive council tax reduction you must tell us about any changes inyour circumstances which might affect your award; for example, you have achange in your income or have a change in the number of people in yourhousehold. Your award could be affected if you fail to tell us of the changewithin 21 days. Any excess reduction resulting from a failure to notifychanges of circumstance will be recovered.

Failure to notify a change or providing incorrect information could result inprosecution or a financial penalty being imposed.

Reductions for disability

If a room in your home is used to meet the special needs of a disabledresident, your council tax bill may be reduced by one band below thatset by the Valuation Office Agency.

You may also get a reduction if certain alterations have been made to yourhome to meet the special needs of a disabled person living there. These caninclude the creation of extra space for a wheelchair to be used indoors, theuse of a room for dialysis equipment or the addition of an extra bathroom or kitchen.

The quickest way to apply for a reduction is to register for our online counciltax service and complete the relevant application form.

Sign up for Council Tax online serviceswww.wandsworth.gov.uk/counciltax/account

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What discounts are available?If you are the only adult living in your household you can get a 25 percent reduction off your bill.

Generally, if there are two or more adults living in your household, noreduction will apply. But you can get this reduction if all the adults, exceptone, fall into one of these categories:

• aged 18 but still at school attracting child benefit, 18- or 19-year-oldschool leavers.

• a full-time student, student nurse, trainee on youth training course,apprentice, foreign language assistant, part-time student under the age of20 or non-British spouses of full-time students.

• a patient in hospital, nursing or care home.

• a carer for someone with a disability who is not a spouse, partner or childunder 18.

• a person who is severely mentally impaired (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease).

• a member of international headquarters and defence organisations or amember of a religious community.

• members (and dependants) of visiting forces.

• persons with diplomatic privilege or immunity.

• a resident of certain types of hostel.

• a person in prison.

Long-term empty premiumProperties that have been kept unfurnished and have not been occupied for more than two years will attract an additional premium of 100 percent council tax based on the current band in which the property falls.

If your bill shows that you are not getting a discount, and you think you should have one, please tell us straight away.

If you are already getting a discount, and there are changes in your circumstances which might affect that discount, you must tell us at once. If you do not do this, or you give false information, you could be prosecuted.

The quickest way to apply for a discount is to register for our online council tax service and complete the relevant application form.

You can also tell us you are moving online, to ensure we send you the correct bill.




What exemptions are available?Exemptions applying to vacant properties

• Class B (Charity and empty) – owned, and was last occupied, by a charity –exempt for up to six months.

• Class D (Vacant and liable person detained) – left empty by someone who hasgone into prison.

• Class E (Vacant and liable person in hospital) – left empty by someone whohas gone to live in a hospital or care home.

• Class F (Vacant and liable person deceased) – waiting for probate or letters ofadministration to be granted, and for up to six months after.

• Class G (Occupation prohibited by law) – empty because occupation isprohibited by law.

• Class H (Vacant held for a minister of religion) – waiting to be occupied by aminister of religion.

• Class I (Vacant and liable person living elsewhere to receive personal care) –left empty by someone who has moved to receive personal care.

• Class J (Vacant and liable person living elsewhere to provide personal care) –left empty by someone who has moved to provide personal care.

• Class K (Vacant left empty by a student) – owned by a student studyingelsewhere, who last lived in the property as his or her main home.

• Class L (Vacant and has been repossessed) – property has been repossessed.

• Class Q (Vacant and liable person bankrupt) – property is the responsibility ofa bankrupt’s trustee.

• Class R (Unoccupied pitch or mooring) – an unoccupied caravan pitch or boatmooring.

• Class T (Unoccupied annexe to an occupied dwelling) – an unoccupiedannexe to an occupied property.

Exemptions applying to occupied properties.

• Class M (Student halls of residence) – provided predominantly for full timestudents.

• Class N (Student household) – occupied only by students, school or collegeleavers or by certain spouses or dependants of students.

• Class O (Armed forces accommodation) – living accommodation for UKarmed forces.

• Class P (Visiting forces accommodation) – visiting forces accommodation.

• Class S (Occupied under 18s) – occupied only by persons under 18.

• Class U (Occupied by SMIs) – occupied only by severely mentally impairedpersons.

• Class V (Occupied by diplomat) – occupied by person with diplomaticprivilege or immunity.

• Class W (Granny annexe) - occupied only by relatives aged 65 and over.You may be able to get a 50 per cent discount for an annexe that isoccupied by a relative under 65 years of age.

If your bill shows that you are not getting an exemption, and you think youshould have one, please tell us straight away.

If you are already getting an exemption, and there are changes in yourcircumstances which might affect that exemption, you must tell us at once. If you do not do this, or you give false information, you could be prosecuted.

The quickest way to apply for the above exemption is to firstly register for ouronline council tax service and complete the relevant application form.

You can also tell us you are moving online, to ensure we send you the correct bill.




Valuation bandsThe amount of council tax depends on the valuation band of theproperty. The council tax payable for this year, for each band, is shown on page 15 of this booklet. Every property has been placed inone of eight valuation bands. The band for your property is shown on your bill.

The valuation band for each property has been decided by the HM Revenueand Customs’ Valuation Office Agency, not by the council. The band is basedon the value of the property estimated on 1 April 1991. As property prices arechangeable, this was set as the standard rate for valuing all properties.

The values for each band are as follows:

April 1991 Property Values

Band A up to £40,000 Band E up to £120,000

Band B up to £52,000 Band F up to £160,000

Band C up to £68,000 Band G up to £320,000

Band D up to £88,000 Band H over £320,000

In some circumstances you can appeal to the Valuation Office Agency for alower banding. An appeal can only be made by:

• the person liable to pay the council tax in a dwelling, for example a tenantor owner-occupier, or

• the owner of the dwelling, even if that person is not the occupier.

• if you bought the property recently, and the Valuation Officer/Listing Officerthen changed its banding, you can appeal within six months of the dateyou became responsible for council tax for the property.

Other circumstances where an appeal can be made are:

• a drop in the value of the property caused by the demolition of part of theproperty, or a major change in the state of the local area.

• if you start or stop using part of the property for business purposes, or thebalance between domestic and business use changes.

• if the house is converted into flats.

General changes in house prices after 1 April 1991 will not affect bandings,so appeals based solely on these changes will not succeed.

Clerk of the TribunalValuation Tribunal for England2nd Floor120 Leman StreetLondon E1 8EU

Email:[email protected]: 0300 123 2035www.valuationtribunal.gov.uk


Can I appeal?Tax payers are entitled to appeal if they disagree with a decision madeabout their council tax liability if they:

• disagree that their property is a chargeable property.

• disagree that they are the person liable to pay council tax.

• think that their property should be exempt from council tax.

• consider they are entitled to a disabled person’s reduction.

• think they should be entitled to a personal reduction.

Anyone disagreeing with a decision made by the council must first contactthe council tax service, providing their name and address, council taxreference number and the reasons for the appeal. If you are not satisfied withthe outcome of the appeal, or have not received a response to the appealwithin two months, you can make a further appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.

Payments must continue to be made in accordance with the council taxbanding currently in force whilst any appeal is pending.

The Valuation Tribunal which deals with Wandsworth is as follows:

You can get an application form by phone: 0300 050 1501 or visit theirwebsite: www.voa.gov.uk

If you cannot reach an agreement with the listing officer, your case will bereferred to an independent valuation tribunal.

You must carry on paying your original council tax bill until the outcome ofyour appeal has been decided. If your appeal is successful, you will get arefund of any overpaid tax.

The valuation bands for all properties in the borough can be found on theValuation Office Agency website.


Our charterOur aim is to provide you with an efficient, friendly and helpful serviceand to inform you of your rights and duties as a taxpayer.

Telephone enquiries - please use the direct line (020) 8871 8081 to use ourautomated, self-service line 24 hours a day.

We will meet the needs of our customers wherever we can. For example,home visits will be available in some cases for our elderly or disabledcustomers.

We will look at the pattern of complaints and suggestions and try to improveareas where there are continuing problems.

We aim to meet the following targets:

• all items of correspondence should be answered within 15 working days.

• council tax refunds should be made within 15 working days of receipt.

• any complaints will be taken seriously and should be answered fully withinten working days.

Our service performanceThe figures below show our performance in meeting service standardsduring 2017/2018. The previous year’s figures are in brackets.

• we authorised 93% (89%) of all council tax refunds within ten working days.

• we collected 98.4% (98.6%) of council tax.

• we received 99 (68) complaints.

• we increased the number of direct debit accounts by 2,492 from 89,390 to 91,882.

Complaints Making a complaint Unfortunately there are times when things go wrong and as part of our commitment todelivering high-quality services we want to know when this happens. If you aredissatisfied with any aspect of the service you have received you should let us know assoon as possible.

More information on how to do this can be found atwww.wandsworth.gov.uk/complaints

Protecting public moneyThis authority is under a duty to protect the public funds it administers, and to this endmay use any information you have provided for the prevention and detection of fraud.We may also share this information with other bodies responsible for auditing oradministering public funds for these purposes.

The council audit team are working with the National Fraud Initiative to cross referencecouncil tax data against other council records to ensure only those that genuinely livealone receive the single person discount.



How we spendyour council tax

Council tax amountsYour council tax helps pay for local services, such as refuse collection, care forthe elderly, and the police and fire service.

The tax is charged at eight different levels, each covering a different band ofproperty values. The levels have to be in these ratios to one another:

Band A B C D E F G H

Ratio 6 7 8 9 11 13 15 18

The tables below show the council tax amounts for 2019/20 compared withlast year’s amounts.

Main part of 2018/19 2019/20the borough £ £

Band A 477.67 509.39

Band B 557.29 594.29

Band C 636.90 679.19

Band D 716.51 764.09

Band E 875.73 933.89

Band F 1,034.96 1,103.69

Band G 1,194.18 1,273.48

Band H 1,433.02 1,528.18

Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators’ area(including Conservators’ levy)

Band A 497.20 529.33

Band B 580.08 617.55

Band C 662.94 705.77

Band D 745.81 793.99

Band E 911.54 970.44

Band F 1,077.28 1,146.88

Band G 1,243.01 1,323.32

Band H 1,491.62 1,587.99


Combining the council tax for two authoritiesThe council tax collected by Wandsworth Council has to cover the spendingneeds of Wandsworth Council and the Greater London Authority (GLA). Theamounts for each authority are added together to work out the total counciltax for each band. The table below shows how the amounts for each authorityhave been combined for band D properties in the borough.

2018/19 2019/20 Increase£ £

Wandsworth Council (average) 404.17 416.98 2.99%Adult social care* 24.25 32.82 2.00%

Total Wandsworth Council (average) 428.42 449.80 4.99%

GLA 294.23 320.51 8.93%

Total 722.65 770.31 6.60%

*The council tax attributable to Wandsworth includes a precept to fund adult social care.

Adult social care fundingThe Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has made anoffer to adult social care authorities. (“Adult social care authorities” are localauthorities which have functions under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, namelycounty councils in England, district councils for an area in England for whichthere is no county council, London borough councils, the Common Council ofthe City of London and the Council of the Isles of Scilly.)

The offer is the option of an adult social care authority being able to chargean additional “precept” on its council tax for financial years from the financialyear beginning in 2016 without holding a referendum, to assist the authorityin meeting expenditure on adult social care. In the Local Government FinanceSettlement issued on 29 January 2019 the secretary of state confirmed thatlocal authorities could again raise this precept.


Council Tax Increase

In addition to the adult social care precept, current legislation allowsWandsworth Council to increase its average council tax charge by up to 3per cent before requiring a referendum in order to gain public approval.

For 2019/20 Wandsworth Council has chosen to increase the main elementof its council tax charge by 2.99 per cent and to charge an additional 2 percent precept to fund adult social care.

The average band D council tax for 2019/20 is therefore £449.80 which isan increase of 4.99 per cent on 2018/19 and is below the referendumthreshold. The average council tax charge is a blended rate of the amountspaid by those properties that attract an additional levy for the Wimbledon &Putney Commons Conservators and the rest of the borough.


Wandsworth CouncilThe table below shows the council’s expenditure plans for 2019/20 in comparison with 2018/19, revised budget position.

Gross NetExpenditure Income Expenditure

19/20 18/19 19/20 18/19 19/20 18/19£m £m £m £m £m £m

Adult Care & Health Services

Adult Services Operations 106.4 106.5 26.2 26.4 80.2 80.1Commissioning & Quality Standards 19.4 19.0 0.7 0.7 18.7 18.3Business Resources 2.7 3.0 0.0 0.0 2.7 3.0Public Health 4.5 4.4 27.5 28.2 -23.0 -23.8

Total 133.0 132.9 54.4 55.3 78.6 77.6

Community Services & Open Spaces

Contracts & Leisure 40.7 39.8 9.3 9.3 31.4 30.5Highways Operations & Street Scene 2.5 2.5 3.0 3.1 -0.5 -0.6

Total 43.2 42.3 12.3 12.4 30.9 29.9

Education & Children's Services

Children & Families 47.5 47.5 2.4 1.3 45.1 46.2Early Help 19.9 19.8 1.6 1.5 18.3 18.3Education, Performance & Planning 26.4 26.7 4.3 4.7 22.1 22.0Finance & Commissioning 2.5 2.4 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.3

Total 96.3 96.4 9.4 8.6 86.9 87.8

Finance & Corporate Resources

General Services- Chief Executive and other Departments 2.3 5.4 0.5 0.5 1.8 4.9- Resources Department 11.9 12.7 29.6 31.3 -17.7 -18.6

Revenue Services 197.4 185.5 190.5 179.0 6.9 6.5Property Services 3.0 3.0 5.6 5.4 -2.6 -2.4Economic Development 2.6 2.9 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.5Other Environmental Services andRegulatory Services 4.2 4.3 1.0 1.0 3.2 3.3

Total 221.4 213.8 228.5 218.6 -7.1 -4.8


Gross NetExpenditure Income Expenditure

19/20 18/19 19/20 18/19 19/20 18/19£m £m £m £m £m £m

Housing & Regeneration

Private Sector Housing 1.1 1.1 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.6Housing Services 24.8 36.4 19.1 30.1 5.7 6.3Housing Management & Service Strategy 1.0 1.3 0.9 0.9 0.1 0.4

Total 26.9 38.8 20.5 31.5 6.4 7.3

Strategic Planning and Transportation

ECS Management & Support 5.6 5.5 0.0 0.0 5.6 5.5Planning & Transport 4.2 4.4 3.3 3.2 0.9 1.2Traffic & Engineering 29.0 29.4 35.6 32.9 -6.6 -3.5

Total 38.8 39.3 38.9 36.1 -0.1 3.2

Non Service Specific Grants 0.0 0.0 28.1 24.8 -28.1 -24.8

Charges Between Services 7.8 3.7 7.8 3.7 0.0 0·0

Total Expenditure on Services 567.4 567.2 399.9 391.0 167.5 176.2


2019/20 2018/19£m £m

Total Expenditure on Services 167.5 176.2(excluding levies counting as council expenditure)

Special Levy Wimbledon & Putney Commons Conservators 0.8 0·8

Other LeviesLondon Pensions Fund Authority 1.9 1.9Western Riverside Waste Authority 1.5 1.9Lee Valley Regional Park Authority 0.3 0.3Environment Agency 0.3 0.3

Council Services and Levies 172.3 181.4Use of Reserves and Balances -10.1 -18.4

Council’s Net Expenditure 162.2 163.0

Local Authority Finance Settlement -100.1 -104.9

Collection Fund Deficit/Surplus -2.2 -2.1

Council Tax Requirement 59.9 56.0

(Figures may not sum exactly due to rounding)


The council works out the tax for band D by dividing the council taxrequirement of £59.9 million, less the Conservators’ levy, by the tax base.This gives a figure of £443.58 (including the precept to fund adult socialcare). The tax base (133,216) is the total number of properties in the eightvaluation bands, after allowing for exemptions, discounts, premiums and thecouncil tax reduction scheme, weighted for the amount that can be collectedfrom each band compared with band D.

The council tax requirement includes £828,586 for the levy payable to theWimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators for Wandsworth’s share ofthe upkeep of the commons. The tax base for the Conservators’ area is27,708. Dividing their levy by this tax base gives the additional £29.90, whichis the difference between the two band D amounts shown on page 15. Onlythose householders in the levying area pay this extra amount. The amountpaid by taxpayers at band D is therefore £0.60 (2.0 per cent) higher than inthe previous year.

If you would like to know more about the council’s spending plans, please write to:

Assistant Director of Resources (Financial Management),Wandsworth Council,Town Hall, Wandsworth High Street,London SW18 2PUTelephone: (020) 8871 5370Email: [email protected]

Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators can be contacted at:

Manor Cottage, Windmill Road, Wimbledon Common,London SW19 5NRTelephone: (020) 8788 7655Email: [email protected]


Greater London AuthorityThis is the third budget for the Mayor of London. It is built around his vision of aLondon where nobody feels left behind and where everyone has theopportunity they need to fulfil their potential. It supports London’s futuregrowth and economic success, building on our City’s thriving economy,extraordinary creativity, tolerance, diversity and openness to the world.

The Mayor will not tolerate any waste of public money, particularly against abackground of tightening resources from the Government over the last decade.This year’s budget has required some tough choices. It will improve the keyservices Londoners need. That means ensuring transport fares are moreaffordable and building more homes. The budget provides resources to supportjobs and growth, tackle rough sleeping and make London a fairer and cleanerplace to live too. It also provides extra resources from council tax and businessrates for the Metropolitan Police and London Fire Brigade to keep Londonerssafe. This will help offset the ongoing impact of real terms cuts in governmentgrant since 2010.

Council tax for GLA Services

The GLA’s share of the council tax for a typical Band D property has beenincreased by £26.28 (or 50p per week) to £320.51. The additional income raisedwill fund the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade. Council taxpayersin the City of London, which has its own police force, will pay £78.38.

Council tax 2018/19 Change 2019/20£ £ £

MOPAC (Met Police) 218.13 24.00 242.13

LFC (London Fire Brigade) 50.22 2.78 53.00

GLA 23.84 -0·46 23.38

TfL (Transport) 2.04 -0·04 2.00

Total 294.23 26.28 320.51

Investing in frontline services

This budget will enable the Mayor to fulfil his key priorities for London. Theseinclude:

• making transport more affordable. Single bus fares, single pay as you go fareson the Tube and DLR and Santander cycle hire scheme charges will be frozenuntil at least 2020. This will save travellers around £40 million a year. A newbus and tram one hour Hopper fare has also been introduced;

• continuing to tackle London’s housing crisis, using £4.8 billion of funding tosupport starts of 116,000 new affordable homes by 2022;

• providing the best policing service possible within the funding made available by


the Government with resources being provided in his Budget for an additional1,300 police officers in 2019/20;

• providing extra resources to support disadvantaged young Londoners andprotect vulnerable children and women at risk of abuse and domestic violence;

• providing sufficient resources to the London Fire Brigade to ensure that first andsecond fire engines arrive, on average, at emergency incidents within six andeight minutes respectively;

• working with London boroughs to maintain existing concessionary travel andassisted door to door transport schemes. This includes free 24 hour travel forthe over 60s, the disabled, armed forces personnel in uniform and eligible warveterans and protecting the Taxicard and Dial a Ride schemes. Discounts ontravelcards are also available for apprentices;

• increasing capacity on the London Underground and working to complete theElizabeth line (formerly Crossrail) the Northern line extension to Battersea Powerstation and the Overground extension to Barking Riverside as soon as possible.The Mayor will also maintain the Night Tube and Night Overground services;

• investing £2.3 billion in Healthy Streets by 2024 to fund projects to enable morewalking and cycling across London. The Mayor will also introduce the Ultra LowEmission Zone in central London to tackle local air pollution;

• making public transport more accessible for everyone. Step-free access isplanned to be introduced at a further 15 suburban tube stations by Spring2020. All new Elizabeth line stations will be step free; and

• funding projects to bring Londoners together, promote arts and culture, helptackle inequality, improve the environment, and boost London’s economy

Summary of GLA budget

The following tables compare the GLA group’s spending for 2019/20 with lastyear and set out why it has changed. The GLA’s gross expenditure is higher thisyear. This is mainly due to the impact of extra investment planned by theMayor in transport, policing and the fire service. Overall the council taxrequirement has increased because of the extra funding for the MetropolitanPolice and the London Fire Brigade. There has also been a 1.9 per cent increasein London’s residential property taxbase.

How the GLA budget is funded2019/20

£m

Gross expenditure 12,232.6

Government grants and retained business rates -4,754.5

Fares, charges and other income -6,522.1

Use of reserves 4.6

Amount met by council tax payers 960.6


Changes in spending 2019/20 £m

2018/19 council tax requirement 865.7

Inflation 235.9

Efficiencies and other savings -243.2

New initiatives 641.1

Other changes (for example, fares revenue and government grants) -538.9

2019/20 council tax requirement 960.6

Detailed budget by service area

The table below compares the GLA Group’s expenditure on policing, fire and other services(including transport) in 2019/20 with 2018/19.

The GLA’s gross expenditure is higher this year. This is mainly due to the impact of extrainvestment planned by the Mayor in transport, policing and the fire service. Overall thecouncil tax requirement has increased because of the extra funding for the MetropolitanPolice and the London Fire Brigade. There has also been a 1.9 per cent increase in London’sresidential property taxbase.

Summary of spending and income

Gross Government Other income Net Change Council taxexpenditure grants and (including fares expenditure to level requirement

business rates and charges) of reserves (income)£m £m £m £m £m £m

Police (MOPAC)

2018/19 3,331.5 -2,397.3 -263·8 670.4 -29.0 641.4

2019/20 3,556.7 -2,656.4 -278.5 621.8 103.4 725.2

Fire (LFC)

2018/19 435.8 -250.9 -36·9 148.0 0.0 148.0

2019/20 450.3 -245.7 -38.3 166.3 -7.1 159.2

Other services (including GLA, TfL, LLDC and OPDC)

2018/19 8,411.1 -1,990.1 -5,863.3 557.8 -481.5 76.3

2019/20 8,225.6 -1,852.4 -6,205.3 167.9 -91.7 76.2

GLA group total

2018/19 12,178.4 -4,638.3 -6,163.9 1,376.2 -510.5 865.7

2019/20 12,232.6 -4,754.5 -6,522.1 956.0 4.6 960.6

(Figures may not sum exactly due to rounding)Finding out moreMore information on the budget is available on the GLA website atwww.london.gov.uk/budget or telephone (020) 7983 4000.


Environment AgencySouth East RegionThe Environment Agency is a levying body for its Flood and Coastal ErosionRisk Management Functions under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 and the Environment Agency (Levies) (England and Wales)Regulations 2011.

The Environment Agency has powers in respect of flood and coastal erosionrisk management for 5,200 km of main river and along tidal and sea defencesin the area of the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee. Money isspent on the construction of new flood defence schemes, the maintenance ofthe river system and existing flood defences together with the operation of aflood warning system and management of the risk of coastal erosion.

The financial details are shown in the table below.

Thames Regional Flood 2018/19 2019/20and Coastal Committee £’000 £’000

Gross Expenditure 86,424 112,919

Levies Raised 11,351 11,577

Total Council Tax Base 5,001 5,085

The majority of funding for flood defence comes directly from theDepartment for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). However,under the new Partnership Funding rule not all schemes will attract fullcentral funding. To provide local funding for local priorities and contributionsfor partnership funding the Regional Flood and Coastal Committeesrecommend through the Environment Agency a local levy.

A change in the gross budgeted expenditure between years reflects theprogramme of works for both capital and revenue needed by the RegionalFlood and Coastal Committee to which you contribute. The total local levyraised by this committee has increased by 1·99 per cent.

The total local levy raised has increased from £11,351,256 in 2018/19 to£11,576,942 for 2019/20.

For more information on the Environment Agency visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk


Western Riverside Waste AuthorityWestern Riverside Waste Authority is the statutory waste disposal authority for the LondonBoroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Lambeth and Wandsworth and for the Royal Boroughof Kensington and Chelsea. The Authority’s waste management policies are led by the wastehierarchy principles of waste reduction, reuse and recycling, with the balance of residualwaste being transported from the Authority’s two transfer stations via the River Thames to anEnergy from Waste Facility on the Thames at Belvedere. The Authority has therefore alreadyachieved the Mayor of London’s 2025 target of zero municipal waste direct to landfill.

The Authority and its constituent councils agreed on a basis of cost apportionment from2009/10. Under the agreement, which has been extended to run for a further eight yearsfrom 2017/18, the Authority recovers the costs of waste delivered by its constituent councilsat a rate per tonne according to the nature of the waste recycled or disposed of. There is aresidual annual levy, apportioned on the basis of council tax-base, for overheads and civicamenity waste.

The estimated costs to constituent councils for 2019/20 compared to the original budgetedcost in 2018/19 are shown in the table below.

2019/20 2019/20 2019/20 2018/19 Increase/ Increase/Council Direct costs Levy Total costs Total costs (Decrease) (Decrease)

£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 %

Hammersmith & Fulham 9,345 906 10,252 10,446 (194) (1.86)

Kensington and Chelsea 9,821 1,114 10,935 11,041 (106) (0.96)

Lambeth 14,495 1,249 15,744 15,965 (221) (1.38)

Wandsworth 12,812 1,523 14,335 14,573 (238) (1.63)

Total 46,473 4,793 51,266 52,025 (759) (1.46)

Total net costs to constituent councils have reduced by 1.5% compared to the original budget for 2018/19.

For more information on Western Riverside Waste Authority visit www.wrwa.gov.uk


London Pensions Fund AuthorityThe London Pensions Fund Authority (LPFA) raises a levy each year to meetexpenditure on premature retirement compensation and outstandingpersonnel matters for which LPFA is responsible and cannot charge to thepension fund. These payments relate to former employees of the GreaterLondon Council (GLC), the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) and theLondon Residuary Body (LRB).

For 2019/20, the income to be raised by levies is set out below. The GreaterLondon levy is payable in all boroughs, the Inner London levy only in InnerLondon Boroughs (including the City of London). The figures show the totalto be raised and, in brackets, the percentage change on the previous year.

Inner London £13,065,200

Greater London £10,317,753

Total £23,382,953 (0%)


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