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Your Council Tax and Business Rates 2015-16

www.rbkc.gov.uk

Our performance and spending plans

March 2015

Kensington Aldridge Academy

For a copy of this booklet please write to:

PO Box 10413, The Town Hall,Hornton Street, London W8 7WTTel: 020 7361 3005, orEmail: [email protected]

Information from this booklet can be made available in alternativeformats and in different languages. If you require further assistanceplease use the contact details above.

March 2015

Contents

A Letter from Councillor Nicholas Paget-Brown Leader of the Council 1

Help with your local tax bill

Council Tax for 2015-16 2

Garden Square Levies for 2015-16 3

Council Tax Discounts and Exemptions 6

Disabled Relief Scheme 8

Council Tax Reduction Scheme and Housing Benefit 12

Business Rates for 2015-16 15

Our performance and spending plans

Our Performance 17

What we Spend 18

The Council’s Services - a snapshot 21

Greater London Authority and other services

Greater London Authority 25

Crossrail Business Rate Supplement 30

Western Riverside Waste Authority 32

London Pension Fund Authority 33

Environment Agency 34

Contacting the Council 35

Dear Resident,

This booklet offers information on your counciltax and the Council’s performance andspending plans.

It also explains how you may be able to pay lesscouncil tax if you are eligible for a discount orexemption, or by making a claim under theCouncil’s council tax support scheme.

The Council continues to manage its finances carefully, consistentlydelivering greater efficiencies while seeking where possible toimprove services. Initiatives such as Tri-borough working withWestminster City Council and the London Borough of Hammersmith& Fulham are delivering significant reductions in management andadministration costs. We are also seeking to manage our propertyholdings to generate additional income.

This means the Council will be holding the council tax at the samelevel for a sixth year.

In spite of the continuing pressures on funding, the Council continuesto make the Royal Borough an even better place to live: for example,the Kensington Aldridge Academy and the Kensington Leisure Centrehave now been formally opened by HRH the Duchess of Cambridge.

There is more information about the Council’s work and its serviceson our website www.rbkc.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

Councillor Nicholas Paget-BrownLeader of the Council

1 A Letter from the Leader of the Council

COUNCIL TAX FOR 2015-16As the local Council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelseaprovides schools, social services, youth services and libraries, wastecollection and street cleaning, leisure services, parks, parking and manyother local services. Most of the council tax we collect from you is topay for services (please see ‘What we spend’ on page 18). We also collect money on behalf of the Greater London Authority (GLA).This year the GLA is charging £295.00 for each Band D property. The GLA’s explanation of its spending and tax can be found on pages25 to 29. The following table explains how much council tax is payable for eachband of property this year. You can read more about bands on page11. For some properties the Council also collects garden square levies(more details are on pages 3 and 4).

Band *RBKC GLA Total Council Tax Tax Council Tax (£) (£) (£)

A 511.55 196.67 708.22B 596.81 229.44 826.25C 682.07 262.22 944.29D 767.33 295.00 1,062.33E 937.85 360.56 1,298.41F 1,108.37 426.11 1,534.48G 1,278.88 491.67 1,770.55H 1,534.66 590.00 2,124.66* Excluding garden square levies

Help with your local tax bill 2

GARDEN SQUARE LEVIES FOR 2015-16The Council collects garden levies for 46 garden squares within theRoyal Borough. These levies are set annually by the garden committeesand the Council is required to collect them, as part of the council tax,from those properties that surround the square.More information about these garden squares can be found on ourwebsite at www.rbkc.gov.uk or by calling 020 7361 3276/2598 oremailing [email protected] table below shows the levies for the 46 garden squares for 2015-16. It also shows the tax base for each garden, the garden chargeat Band D, and the total council tax at Band D including the gardencharge.

Garden Square Levy Band D Garden Band D Equiv.Tax Charge Tax (incl. Base Band D Garden) £ £ £Addison Gardens 37,800 125 282.04 1,049.37Arundel/Ladbroke Gardens 57,000 249 212.24 979.57Avondale Park Gardens 1,600 28 47.57 814.90Barkston Gardens 42,000 254 162.78 930.11Bina Gardens (West) 24,500 197 121.03 888.36Bolton Gardens 42,600 116 361.98 1,129.31Bramham Gardens 36,000 381 81.32 848.65Brompton Square 23,000 171 134.50 901.83Campden Hill Square 24,000 85 269.65 1,036.98Campden House Court 30,000 216 138.62 905.95Clarendon Rd/Lansdowne Rd 15,500 42 369.05 1,136.38Collingham Gardens 32,000 183 172.67 940.00Cornwall Gardens 65,000 630 101.55 868.88Courtfield Gardens (East) 20,000 209 92.87 860.20Courtfield Gardens (West) 65,000 415 151.08 918.41Earls Court Square 25,000 290 83.11 850.44Edwardes Square 59,300 243 241.79 1,009.12Gledhow Gardens 50,000 254 185.09 952.42Hereford Square 18,500 68 272.06 1,039.39

3 Help with your local tax bill

Garden Square Levy Band D Garden Band D Equiv.Tax Charge Tax (incl. Base Band D Garden) £ £ £Holland Rd/Russell Rd 26,800 198 121.16 888.49Hornton St/Holland St 14,000 110 125.49 892.82Iverna Court 12,000 217 55.30 822.63Kensington Square 15,000 119 106.87 874.20Lexham Gardens 35,000 299 116.19 883.52Moreton/Cresswell Gardens 19,500 101 193.07 960.40Nevern Square 37,000 296 111.33 878.66Norland Square 24,000 176 133.64 900.97Ovington Square 22,000 155 140.88 908.21Pembridge Square 33,000 199 128.97 896.30Philbeach Gardens 55,440 307 152.89 920.22Royal Crescent 44,000 179 234.90 1,002.23St James’s Gardens 25,673 153 137.57 904.90Stanley Crescent 42,000 186 205.29 972.62Stanley Gardens (North) 33,000 119 265.05 1,032.38Stanley Gardens (South) 47,000 160 246.81 1,014.14Sunningdale Gardens 3,500 28 110.68 878.01Wetherby Gardens 75,850 319 233.44 1,000.77Arundel Gdns/Elgin Crescent 40,000 275 138.54 905.87Blenheim/Elgin Crescent 60,000 255 215.26 982.59Emperor’s Gate 9,750 234 40.46 807.79Ladbroke Grove 4,500 50 90.00 857.33Rosmead Gardens 55,000 132 355.68 1,123.01Lansdowne Gardens 30,000 167 172.19 939.52Hanover Gardens 29,531 140 201.51 968.84Montpelier Gardens 39,000 115 300.69 1,068.02Notting Hill 7,000 37 177.35 944.68


Who pays the council tax?The council tax is a property and person based charge that results inone bill for each household. Paying the bill is normally the responsibilityof the freehold or leasehold owner if he or she lives in the property ashis or her main or only home and is over 18.

What happens if the owner does not live in the property?The responsibility falls to residents in the following order - statutory orsecure tenants, people living there under a licence and other residents.

What happens if no-one lives in the property?If the property is no-one’s main or only home, then the owner willnormally be liable. This applies, for instance, in the case of secondhomes.

When are owners liable?The owners would always be liable in the following circumstances:• Residential care homes, nursing homes and some hostels.• Religious communities.• Houses in multiple-occupation (any property normally occupied by a

number of people who do not form a single household, for examplenurses’ homes and hostels).

• Homes occasionally occupied by an employer whose staff live thereas domestic service employees.

• The homes of ministers of religion (Church of England properties arenormally the responsibility of the Diocesan Board of Finance).

• Homes provided for asylum seekers under the Immigration andAsylum Act 1999.

What happens if more than one person is liable?Where more than one person has an interest in a property (joint owners,for instance), then both are said to be ‘jointly and severally liable’, whichmeans that the bill can be sent to either or both of them and either canbe held responsible for the full amount. This applies to a husband andwife or common-law partnership even when only one of them owns theproperty and civil partners or those living together as civil partners. Students are not jointly or severally liable in cases where they live withnon-students.


COUNCIL TAX DISCOUNTS AND EXEMPTIONSCertain individuals are eligible for council tax discount. The basic council tax charge is based on two or more adults living inthe property. If you are the only resident adult in the property you areeligible for a 25 per cent discount, which should have been applied toyour bill if we already know that you live alone. Your bill will not increase if there are more than two adults living in theproperty.

Who can receive a discount?Here is the full list of people who are discounted for council taxpurposes:• Full-time students, student nurses, apprentices and those on Youth

Training courses.• People in hospital.• People being cared for in residential homes, nursing homes, hospices,

mental nursing homes and hostels providing a high level of care.• People who are severely mentally impaired.• People kept in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983.• People in certain night shelters.• Monks and nuns.• Students who are 19 or who have just left school.• Care workers on low pay and usually working for charity, such as

Community Service volunteers.• People caring for someone with a disability, other than a spouse,

partner or child under 18.• Convicted prisoners and those on remand, except those who are in

jail for not paying fines or council tax.To find out if a discount applies to your bill, you should count thenumber of adults who live with you as their main home but who are notin one of the groups listed above. If you are left with two or more people,no discount applies. If there is only one person, the bill may be reducedby 25 per cent.


What if all the residents are discounted?Then a 50 per cent discount may apply. If you are not sure you shouldcontact the Council.

Empty propertiesFrom April 2013, the Council is no longer giving a discount forsecond homes or empty/unfurnished property.

Empty Property PremiumProperties that have been kept unfurnished and have not beenoccupied for more than two years will attract a premium rate of counciltax of 150% based on the current band in which the property falls.

Properties exempt from council taxCouncil tax is not charged on certain properties - ‘exempt properties’.The classes of property exempt from council tax are shown below. Ifyou think that your property falls into any of these classes pleasecontact us. You may need to provide us with evidence before we grantthe exemption.Class B - Empty properties owned by a registered charity, for a

maximum of six months and last occupied in furtherance ofthe charity’s objects.

Class D - Empty properties which were lived in by people now in prisonor otherwise legally detained.

Class E - Empty properties which were lived in by people who nowpermanently live in a hospital or home.

Class F - Empty properties where the only person who lived there hasdied.

Class G - Empty properties where the law prevents anyone from livingthere.

Class H - Empty properties held vacant for a Minister of Religion.

Class I - Empty properties which were lived in by people who are nowreceiving personal care in a place other than a hospital orhome.

Class J - Empty properties which were lived in by people who are nowliving elsewhere for the purpose of providing personal care.


Class K - Empty properties which were lived in by students or peoplewho will become students within six weeks of leaving theproperty.

Class L - Empty properties which have been repossessed.

Class M - Student halls of residence.

Class N - Properties occupied entirely by full time students.

Class O - Ministry of Defence barracks and married quarters.

Class P - Visiting forces accommodation.

Class Q - Empty properties left by someone who has become bankrupt.

Class R - Empty caravan pitches or boat moorings.

Class S - Properties only lived in by people under the age of 18.

Class T - Empty parts of single properties which cannot be letseparately.

Class U - Properties which are lived in only by people who are severelymentally impaired.

Class V - Properties which are only lived in by foreign diplomats.

Class W - Parts of properties which are only lived in by the elderly ordisabled relatives of those living in the rest of the property.

DISABLED RELIEF SCHEME

You may be able to pay less council tax under the disabled bandreduction scheme if your home has had work carried out on it to helpyou or someone else living there with a disability.

How does the disabled band reduction scheme work?This scheme reduces the council tax payable by disabled people wholive in a larger property than they would have needed if they were notdisabled. However, having a disability does not automatically entitle youto a reduction.

Can I qualify for a disabled band reduction?In summary, the requirements for a reduction are that the property mustbe the main residence of at least one disabled person and it must haveat least one of the following:


• an additional bathroom or kitchen,• any other room (not being a toilet) which is mainly used by the

disabled person, or• enough space for the use of a wheelchair - if the wheelchair is for

outdoor use only, this will not count.The room or the wheelchair must also be essential or of majorimportance to the disabled person’s well-being, due to the nature andextent of their disability.‘Disabled person’ in this context means a person who is substantiallyand permanently disabled. The disabled person can be either an adultor a child and does not have to be responsible for paying the counciltax bill.Please note an extra room does not need to have been specially built,but your home will not qualify for a reduction unless the ‘essential or ofmajor importance’ test above is met. Simply rearranging rooms (forexample, having a bedroom on the ground floor rather than the firstfloor) is unlikely to make your home eligible for a reduction.

What happens if my home meets these criteria?If your home is eligible, your bill will be reduced to that of a property inthe next council tax band down. For example, a Band D property willbe charged a Band C rate. Even if your property is in Band A (the lowestband) you will still receive a reduction. It will be the same in cash termsas the reductions for homes in Band B, C or D. If you would like furtherdetails please contact Council Tax Services.

Paying your council taxCouncil tax can be paid yearly, half-yearly, quarterly or in ten monthlyinstalments between April and January. Instalments are payable on the15th of each month, but Direct Debit payers can choose from the 7th,15th, 21st or 28th. You can also elect to pay your instalments over 12months but you will need to apply before 31 March 2015 to get the full12 months. To apply please phone or email us on the contact detailsshown on page 10. Payments over 12 months are payable on 15th ofeach month. You can set up a direct debit at any time by telephoning020 7368 8906. There are full details of payment options on your bill.


E-BillingDirect Debit payers can choose to receive their bills by email rather thanthrough the post. To sign up for this service please telephone 020 73613005, or apply online at www.rbkc.gov.uk/counciltax

What if I miss a payment?If you miss a payment we will send you a reminder. Please note thatwe will not send reminders for all instalments you miss. You must makesure that you pay by the dates set out on your bill. If you do not keepto these dates you will lose the right to pay by instalments. We mayalso take legal action against you to recover the full amount due for theyear, plus extra costs.

What if there are changes to my circumstances?You must tell us about any changes in your circumstances that couldaffect the amount of council tax you should be paying, for instance if youare claiming a single person discount and someone moves into yourhome.

What if I do not tell the Council of any changes?You could face a penalty of up to £70. You could also face a penalty of£70 if you do not respond to a request from the Council asking forinformation that would help to identify who is responsible for paying thecouncil tax.

Council tax advice and informationFurther information and advice on all aspects of council tax can beobtained from Council Tax Services at:

Our website: www.rbkc.gov.uk/counciltaxEmail: [email protected]: 020 7361 3005 Fax: 020 7368 0303By post: PO Box 10413, Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7WTVisit: The Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX (8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday)We aim to produce council tax information in plain English and in anaccessible format for all our residents. If you require further assistanceplease use the contact details above.


How does the banding system work?The amount of council tax you pay will depend on the band set for your property by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), part of theGovernment’s Revenue and Customs Department. The bands arebased on the market value of your home in 1991, and run from A – H.The band that applies to your property is shown on your bill and canbe checked, as can the band of any other council tax property, byvisiting www.voa.gov.uk

Can I appeal against my council tax band?You can only appeal against your council tax band in limitedcircumstances and these do not include changes in the housing market. Changes in the value of a property which affect its band usually result from building or engineering work, in which caserevaluation only takes place after the property is sold and the personappealing against it would normally be the new owner or resident. If the value is reduced by partial demolition, a change in thesurroundings or by being adapted for someone with a physical disability, then revaluation should take place as soon as possible.An appeal is also possible where a house has been converted to flats,or vice versa, or when the Valuation Officer has changed the property’sband, in which case the appeal should be made within six months.

Who can I contact for making an appeal?For full details about making an appeal, contact the Valuation Officer at:

Council Tax SouthValuation Office AgencySecond Floor, 1 Francis GroveWimbledon, London SW19 4DTTel: 03000 501501 Email: [email protected]: www.voa.gov.uk

Please note that you must continue to pay council tax until any appealis decided.


Other appealsYou may also appeal if you think that you should not be paying counciltax, e.g. you are not living in the property, the property should beexempt or the way we have worked out the bill is not correct. If youwant to appeal on these or similar grounds please write to us so thatwe can reconsider the case.

COUNCIL TAX REDUCTION SCHEME AND HOUSINGBENEFITThe Council Tax Benefit Scheme was abolished on 1 April 2013 andcouncils replaced it with local Council Tax Reduction Schemes.Government funding for the new scheme is 10 per cent less than forthe Council Tax Benefit Scheme. Some councils have chosen to makeresidents who formerly received council tax benefit pay somethingextra, but the Royal Borough has decided that for 2015-2016 it willabsorb the extra cost. These benefits can help you pay your council tax and/or rent, whateveryour age and whether or not you own your home.Unless you have substantial savings or a high income you can probablyget your council tax bill reduced.Either you or your partner can claim and you can also claim on behalfof someone else if, for example, they are elderly or sick.

How do I apply for housing benefit and the council taxreduction scheme?Fill in an application form, which you can get from the Council bytelephoning or visiting the Benefits Service at Kensington Town Hall orfrom our website.You will need to provide evidence to support your claim. The form tellsyou what you need to send. If you do not have all the documents weneed at the time you can send things on to us later - but send the formin quickly.


What will affect how much benefit I receive?Your income, your savings and your personal circumstances.You must provide evidence of your income, your partner’s income andany money earned by other members of your household. This includesall the money you have coming in, from all sources. If you are in doubtabout any income you should declare it.

You also have to provide evidence of your savings. As a general rule, ifyou have capital valued at more than £16,000, then you will not beentitled to benefit. However, if there is a cost involved in disposing of acapital asset, ten per cent of the value is disregarded.

So, for example, someone with stocks and shares worth £17,000 wouldhave £1,700 disregarded and might qualify.

You will need to tell us about your health, age and the details of all thepeople living in your household. This includes your partner, dependentchildren, grown up children, lodgers, flat sharers, sub-tenants andfriends.

How is the benefit calculated?If you receive Jobseeker’s Allowance (income based), Income Supportor Pension Credit Guarantee and have no other people living with you,you will probably be entitled to 100 per cent benefit.

If you have other people living with you, such as a working son ordaughter, or your income is higher then you will usually get less thanthe maximum benefit. If you qualify for benefit it will normally beawarded from the week after we receive your claim.

Benefit can be backdated if you would have been entitled to it earlierand can give us a good reason why you did not claim it. If you are over60, you may be able to get your claim backdated for three months.

Special rules for studentsIf you are a student you can only claim benefit if you fall within one ofthe Government’s ‘vulnerable groups’, which includes single parents,disabled students and pensioners.


Alternative Council Tax Reduction Scheme If your income or savings are too high to qualify for benefit you mightstill be able to get help if you share your home with one or more otherpeople. If you live with someone over 18 who is:

• not paying you rent• not liable to pay council tax• not your partner• on a low incomethen you might qualify for benefit based on their income.

Who can I ask for help?If you need any help or if you would like more information then contactthe Benefits Service at:

Our website: www.rbkc.gov.uk/benefitsEmail: [email protected]: 020 7361 3006 Fax: 020 7361 2620By post: PO Box 22515 Town Hall, Hornton Street,London W8 7WBVisit: The Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX (8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday)By minicom: 020 7361 3426 Text (SMS): 07976 060332

Help us to fight fraudTo report suspected benefit fraud, please telephone 020 7361 2777 oremail [email protected]


BUSINESS RATES FOR 2015-16 National Non-Domestic Rates or business rates, as they are morecommonly known, are a tax on non-domestic properties.For 2015-16, businesses in Kensington and Chelsea are expected topay £272 million in business rates. Under the Retained Rates schemeintroduced on 1 April 2013, the Royal Borough will keep £46 million ofthis amount.

How is your rates bill calculated?Your gross annual rates bill is calculated by multiplying the rateablevalue of the property by the appropriate Government set multiplier. For2015-16 the multiplier is 49.3 pence or 48 pence for businesses thatqualify for Small Business Rate Relief. Your net rates bill may differ fromthe gross bill if you qualify for a relief, exemption, transitional relief, oryour property is subject to the Business Rates Supplement (BRS). Moreinformation about the BRS can be found on pages 30 and 31.

RevaluationThe Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is responsible for assessing therateable values of all non-domestic properties. The VOA normallyre-values all rateable values every five years, but the Government hasdecided to defer the revaluation due to take effect from 1 April 2015 to1 April 2017.

How can I appeal against the rateable value?Appeals against and enquiries about rateable values should beaddressed to the Valuation Office Agency at:Email: [email protected]: 03000 501501 Fax: 03000 508780Website: www.voa.gov.ukPlease note that you must continue to pay your business rates untilany appeal is decided.

E-BillingRatepayers who opt to pay their rates by direct debit can receive theirrates bill by email. To sign up for e-billing please contact the RatesOffice on 020 8315 2082 or by email to [email protected] quotingyour business rates account number.


Direct DebitIf you would like to pay by Direct Debit, please call the Rates Office on 020 8315 2082 or you can download the form athttp://www.rbkc.gov.uk/PDF/brdirectdebitform.pdf

Business rates advice and supportwww.businesslink.gov.uk provides impartial advice and support to helpyou sustain your business. At a local level, Portobello Business Centre(www.pbc.co.uk) offers free advice and confidential guidance fromqualified experts and www.rbkc.gov.uk/businessandenterprise providesupdates on Council backed initiatives that support businesses.The Council can grant hardship relief to a ratepayer if paying all or partof the bill would cause hardship. Any ratepayer experiencing hardshipcan apply but relief is normally only granted in exceptional circumstances.For details on how to apply please contact the Rates Office.

Further informationFurther information about rates can be found on the explanatory notesaccompanying your bill, at www.rbkc.gov.uk or by contacting the RatesOffice by:Email: [email protected]: 020 8315 2082 Fax: 020 8315 2087Post: PO Box 2369, Town Hall, Hornton Street, London, W8 7ZXVisit: The Town Hall, Hornton Street, London, W8 7NX(9am to 5pm Monday to Friday)


OUR PERFORMANCE

The Royal Borough has a track record of being a high performingauthority, and is committed to delivering good and affordable publicservices. We want to be recognised as a council that is effective,efficient and transparent.

In the latest Annual Survey of Londoners, 87 per cent of our residentssaid they view the Council as doing a good job; 80 per cent regard theCouncil as efficient and well-run; and 64 per cent agree that werepresent good value for money.

The Council has continued to achieve excellent results in the remainingexternal assessments of its services. For example, by April 2014, 92per cent of Kensington and Chelsea schools were judged good orexcellent by Ofsted, an increase from 82 per cent in 2012-13.

There are various ways in which we measure, report and publishperformance information to enable our residents to hold us to account.

The Council’s annual report describes in detail the Council’sachievements over the past twelve months or so. You can find theReport to Taxpayers 2014 on the Council’s website here.

Its statistical companion is published annually in July. The Kensingtonand Chelsea Performance Report 2013-14 can be viewed here. In2013-14, we met or nearly met 85 per cent of our performance targets.Where performance is comparable with the previous year, we achievedthe same or a better level of performance for 60 per cent of indicators.

During the year we regularly report on a small set of top priorityperformance indicators which we call Vital Signs. The latest in-yearVital Signs reports can be found here.

Reports on Vital Improvements track progress of the Council’s mostimportant projects, programmes and initiatives. To see latest in-yearVital Improvements reports click here.

On our website you can also find a wealth of information about theperformance of individual services.

17 Our performance and spending plans

http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/council/howthecouncilworks/ourperformance/performancemanagement/reporttotaxpayers.aspx

http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/councilanddemocracy/howthecouncilperforms/performancemanagement/kcpr.aspx

http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/council/howthecouncilworks/ourperformance/performancemanagement.aspx

http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/council/howthecouncilworks/ourperformance/continuousimprovement.aspx

The Transparency and open data web pages include information thatall local authorities are now required by law to publish – from spendover £500 to salaries and information on the Council’s assets andsalaries – in a format that allows re-use.

WHAT WE SPENDThe Council will spend £417 million in 2015-16 on a wide range of localservices such as schools, social services, highways and wastecollection excluding housing and council tax benefits paid. Our counciltax requirement after taking into account all income and Governmentfunding is £73 million. The council also collects over £27 million onbehalf of the Greater London Authority to pay for London wide services,such as the Metropolitan Police. More details can be found on pages25 to 29.

Our performance and spending plans 18

We are interested to know what data and information residentswould like to be able to access through the Council’stransparency web pages. You can make a suggestion byemailing the Council’s Service Improvement Team at:[email protected]

Pay and price inflation 2.5

External cost pressures 1.3

External Funding Reduction 14.6

2015-16 Savings -15.5

2014-15 Savings (transfer from reserves) -1.3

Pension Fund contribution reduction -1.0

Financing and Other -0.6

Change total 0.0

Year-on-Year Council Tax Change £m

http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/council/opendataandtransparency/transparencyandopendata.aspx

The total Royal Borough budget of £560 million is made up and fundedas follows:

Gross Spending £560 million

Gross Funding £560 million


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The Council’s services - a snapshot

Adult Social Care• 280 older people in residential and nursing homes, and 81

people in supported accommodation• 817 older people receiving home care• 486 service users with direct payments for all client groups• 196 people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities,

sensory impairment or mental health needs in residential andsupported care

• 29,441 people issued with a freedom pass• 2,162 members of the taxicard service• 2,205 people issued with a blue disabled parking badge• 102 older people receiving day care services

Children’s Services• a resident population of 29,720 young people aged 19 years

and under• 2,700 three and four year-olds attending nursery settings• circa 7,000 places in primary schools and 4,000 places in

secondary schools (including Chelsea Academy)• educating 386 children with special educational needs

resident in the borough, and 74 pupils attending two specialschools

• educating 132 pupils attending non-maintained schools(including 25 pupils in the Pupil Referral Unit)

• 95 per cent of schools judged to be good or outstanding byOFSTED

• eight children’s centres and support for 75 private, voluntaryand community organisations and 50 childminders

• 92 children subject to a child protection plan• 98 children in care• support for 131 young people leaving care• 220 young people supported by the Youth Offending Team• 6,100 young people attending youth support services

Environment, Leisure and Residents’ Services• collecting about 52,000 tonnes of refuse from 87,000 homes –

approximately 25 per cent of which is recycled


• 2 museums and galleries with over 30,000 visits, including thecritically acclaimed A Victorian Obsession exhibition

• 2 cemeteries - Gunnersbury and Hanwell• Opera Holland Park with 34,000 tickets sold at 36

performances including 1,500 free tickets• managing eight major parks and many smaller open spaces to

award winning standards• 2 leisure centres with over 650,000 visits• regular cleansing of more than 200km of public highway

Housing Services• 1,586 households in temporary accommodation• 2,782 users of ‘supporting people’ services

Library, Archive and Heritage Services• Kensington Central Library and five branch libraries, with

nearly one million visits (939,000) per annum• 315,558 items in stock to choose from• nearly 700,000 items issued• 128 computers available for customers to use free of charge • 35,500 active members• a summer reading challenge with over 300 children completing

the challenge• home library service delivered to nearly 232 members• bookstart packs delivered to over 3,800 children

Planning and Borough Development• over 6,000 planning application and 3,000 enforcement cases

determined annually• over 1,000 pre-planning advice consultations undertaken• about six major consultations undertaken per year to respond

to local issues and keep the policy framework up to date • 6,000 full searches of the local land charges register and 1,000

personal searches per year• caring for 7,000 trees on the Royal Borough’s streets and

handling about 700 listed building applications• processing 800 building regulation applications each year• providing site specific guidance so that appropriate


development is achieved on the borough’s major sites • maintaining the planning web pages and making publicly

available through the web the archive of historic information

Public Health• 450 people with personal health plans (March to December

2014)• 3,120 ‘first bottle’ packs distributed to help prevent vitamin D

deficiency in pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers andchildren under five

• 1,514 people supported to quit smoking for four weeks• 6,850 people reached by diabetes champions• About 20 contracts delivering healthy life style services to

residents• Preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections; and

treating, testing and caring for people with infections• Providing specialist advice on commissioning to the West

London Clinical Commissioning Group• Delivering the local authority role in health protection, ensuring

that residents are protected from communicable disease andenvironmental threats

• Substance misuse support and treatment for residents of theborough

Transport and Technical Services• monitoring of 1,322 licensed premises including: Licensing Act

2003 (1,031), Gambling Act 2005 (39), special treatmentlicences (225) and ‘assorted others’ (27)

• licensing for lotteries (72); scrap metal dealers (7); personallicences (1,642); and therapist registrations (2,136)

• issuing around 36,000 live residents’ parking permits at anyone time and 18,500 parking bay suspensions per annum

• administering licences for 81 houses in multiple occupation• 2 major bridges – Albert Bridge and Chelsea Bridge• operating and maintaining 13,500 lighting points, including

street lights, illuminated signs and bollards• maintaining over 200km of footways• 1,079 food hygiene and 689 food standards inspections;

23 The Council’s services - a snapshot

The Council’s services - a snapshot 24

handling 281 food complaints, 178 enquiries and taking 103food samples

• 81 accidents investigated by health and safety; handling 114health and safety complaints and 62 enquiries from residentsand members of the public

• 24,807 pest control inspections / visits• 10,165 service requests to the noise and nuisance service• 147 environmental health training courses run; 145 training

days; 849 candidates trained

Corporate Services• a £1.4 million contract to purchase 41 additional Police officers

for the Royal Borough, match funded by the MetropolitanPolice

• collecting council tax of £99 million from 87,000 dwellings and£303 million of business rates and business rates supplement

• payment of over £140 million of housing benefit• managing over 270 properties in the commercial portfolio and

315 leases• payroll and human resources services for 3,482 employees

(headcount), including for schools• promoting local employment• support for around 550 Member and senior management level

meetings each year• managing the Council’s buildings• over £3 million of support for a range of voluntary

organisations in the Royal Borough• 6,382 enrolments and 3,921 adult learners

The text on pages 25 to 34 has been supplied by the named externalbodies

IntroductionThe Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is committed to achieving valuefor money for Londoners and delivering economic growth. This guideexplains how your council tax pays for GLA services. His seventhbudget continues to deliver on his promise to reduce council tax andinvest in London’s infrastructure. For the fourth year running theMayor is cutting his part of the council tax. This means it has fallenby 28 per cent in real terms since 2008. He is also on course to meethis commitment to reduce it by ten per cent in cash terms during hissecond term.

The current financial climate means that the public sector must deliverimproved public services with fewer resources. This year’s budget hasrequired some difficult choices to be made while at the same timeseeking to protect the key services Londoners expect from the Mayor- safer streets, investment in transport infrastructure and affordablehousing.

Council tax and budget informationThe Greater London Authority’s (GLA) share of the council tax for atypical band D property has been reduced by £4 to £295.00. The tablebelow shows how this is allocated. A band D council taxpayer in theCity of London, which has its own police force, will pay £86.13.

Council Tax (£) 2014-15 Change 2015-16

MOPAC(Met Police) 214.52 -5.65 208.87

LFEPA(Fire Brigade) 52.42 -1.57 50.85

GLA and Olympics 29.79 3.28 33.07

TfL (Transport) 2.27 -0.06 2.21

Total (£) 299.00 -4.00 295.00

25 Greater London Authority and other services

Controlling costs at City Hall (Core GLA)The Mayor has put value for money at the very heart of hisadministration and has controlled costs tightly and cut out waste. Thisis reflected in the savings and efficiencies of nearly £450 million whichwill be delivered across the GLA Group in 2015-16.These savings have allowed the Mayor to reduce his precept forresidents of the 32 London boroughs as well as releasing money todeliver his key priorities over his current Mayoral term. This includessupporting the delivery of Crossrail and the Northern Line Extension toBattersea; making London cleaner, greater and safer, the regenerationof Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park; the creation of up to 250,000apprenticeships by 2016; and the delivery of around 100,000 affordablehomes over his two terms.

Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (Met Police)The Mayor has set the Met Police a challenge to drive down crimes inkey categories; boost public confidence by at least 20 per cent; reducedelays in the criminal justice system by 20 per cent; increasecompliance with community sentences by 20 per cent; and reducereoffending by young people by 20 per cent while delivering over £500million of savings in its budget. He will continue to invest in frontlinepolicing in order to maintain officer numbers at or around 32,000. All 32 London Boroughs have now moved to a local policing modelwhich includes an additional 2,600 officers in Safer NeighbourhoodTeams. The total number of offences has continued to fall with crimedown overall by more than 6 percent in 2013-14.In order to meet the financial challenges faced by the MetropolitanPolice and protect resources for front line policing many of theunder-used and outmoded buildings in MOPAC’s estate are being soldand its back office functions are being reconfigured. However, theMayor has promised that an equivalent or better public access will beprovided following this rationalisation.Every London borough continues to have at least one front counteropen 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The Mayor is also seeking to makeit easier and more convenient for Londoners to access the police innew ways while ensuring that more officers are out on the beat whereLondoners want to see them.

Greater London Authority and other services 26

Transport for London (TfL)With London’s population forecast to grow by one million in the nextdecade, the Mayor is investing in making the transport network morereliable. TfL’s ten year investment plans will deliver major upgrades andimprovements in day to day service reliability to support jobs, economicgrowth and prosperity. This investment includes:

• delivering a 30 per cent improvement in the Tube’s reliability by theend of 2015 and upgrading key stations right across the network;

• introducing a new 24-hour Tube service at weekends on key linesfrom September 2015;

• completing Crossrail which will increase London’s rail capacity byten per cent and extending the Northern Line to Battersea and theLondon Overground to Barking Riverside;

• increasing capacity on the London Overground and the Wimbledonto Croydon tram line;

• investing £4 billion to improve the safety and quality of London’sroads for all users;

• delivering 800 New Bus for London vehicles by 2016; and• investing £913 million to making cycling safer by creating safer

junctions, segregated cycle routes and Quietways on less busystreets.

London Fire and Emergency Planning AuthorityLFEPA is driving improvements to operational efficiency andeffectiveness which will not only balance the authority's budget but alsoseek to protect, and where possible, improve the London Fire Brigade’sresponse times. LFEPA are promoting community safety and fireprevention as well as ensuring that buildings in London conform to firesafety standards in order to protect Londoners and visitors to thecapital.

London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC)The LLDC was set up by the Mayor to ensure that London benefits froma lasting legacy from the 2012 Olympics. By 2030 Queen ElizabethOlympic Park will have 10,000 new households and more than 20,000jobs are forecast to be created there. The Park is also now open to thepublic and in 2015 the Olympic Stadium will host five Rugby World Cup



matches before reopening permanently in summer 2016. This budgetwill also support the delivery of the Mayor’s Olympicopolis projectwhich will create a new world class education and cultural district inthe Park.

Summary of GLA group budgetThe tables below set out the GLA’s funding sources and the reasonsfor the year on year change in the budget.

How the GLA budget is funded (£m) 2015-16

Gross expenditure 11,451

Fares, charges and other income -6,364

Government grants and business rates -4,226

Net transfer to/from reserves -60

Amount met by council tax payers (£m) 801

Changes in Spending (£m) 2015-16

2014-15 council tax requirement 787

Inflation 241

Efficiencies and other savings -446

New investment to improve services 604

Other changes -385

2015-16 council tax requirement 801

Detailed budget by service areaThe table below compares the GLA group’s expenditure on policing,fire and other services (including transport) in 2015-16 with 2014-15.The increase in the council tax requirement arising from London’sgrowing population is supporting investment in policing, the FireBrigade, regeneration and apprenticeships. The increase in grossexpenditure reflects the additional investment in transport.

Find out more about the budget on our website: www.london.gov.uk(tel: 020 7983 4000).

29 Greater London Authority and other servicesS

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7


CROSSRAIL BUSINESS RATE SUPPLEMENTWhat is Crossrail and how will it benefit your business?Crossrail will connect the outer suburbs and Heathrow to the West End,City and Canary Wharf. It is pivotal to the future of London’s economyand the increased earnings – from new jobs and quicker journeys – willbenefit businesses across London.It is the single largest investment in London’s infrastructure for decades,employing up to 14,000 people at the peak of construction. Crossrailservices are due to commence on the Shenfield to Liverpool Streetsection in 2017 and through central London in 2018 followed by aphased introduction of services on the rest of the route. To find out more, visit www.crossrail.co.uk, call the Crossrail 24 hrHelpdesk on 0345 602 3813 or email [email protected]

Developments in the construction and financing ofCrossrailThe Mayor of London agreed a settlement with the Government inOctober 2010 for the Crossrail route and secured investment for theupgrade of the Tube. Crossrail is now under construction at key sitesacross London. In April 2012 the Mayor introduced a community infrastructure planning(CIL) levy on new developments in London to finance Crossrail. This ispaid for by the developer. Find out more at www.london.gov.uk.

How will London’s businesses help to Fund Crossrail?The Crossrail BRS will be used to finance £3.5 billion worth of GLAborrowing and the repayment of this sum after Crossrail is completed.A further £0.6 billion of BRS revenues have been used to finance theconstruction works directly. The Crossrail BRS will need to be levieduntil the GLA’s borrowing is repaid which is expected to be some timein the 2030s.


Does my business have to pay the Crossrail BRS?Your rates bill makes clear if you are liable to pay the BRS. The CrossrailBRS is applied only to assessments (e.g. business and other nondomestic premises) on the local rating lists of the 32 London boroughsand City of London Corporation with a rateable value of more than£55,000. Over 80 per cent of non domestic properties in London aretherefore exempt.

How much do I pay if my property’s rateable value isabove £55,000?The Crossrail BRS multiplier for 2015-16 is 2p per pound of rateablevalue. Reliefs for the Crossrail BRS will apply on the same basis and atthe same percentage rate as for your National Non Domestic Rates(NNDR) bill, although no transitional relief is provided for the BRS.

Keeping you up to dateWe will provide an annual update for ratepayers over the lifetime of theBRS.

Contact for Further Information020 7983 4100 [email protected]/crossrail-brsFinance, GLA, City Hall London SE1 2AA


WESTERN RIVERSIDE WASTE AUTHORITY Western Riverside Waste Authority is the statutory waste disposalauthority for the London Boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham,Lambeth, Wandsworth and for the Royal Borough of Kensington andChelsea. The Authority’s waste management policies are led by thewaste hierarchy principles of waste reduction, reuse and recycling, withthe balance of residual waste being transported from the Authority’stwo transfer stations via the River Thames to an Energy from WasteFacility on the Thames at Belvedere. The Authority has therefore alreadyachieved the Mayor of London’s 2025 target of zero municipal wastedirect to landfill.

The Authority and its constituent councils agreed on a new basis ofcost apportionment from 2009-10. Under the agreement, intended torun for eight years, the Authority recovers the costs of waste deliveredby its constituent councils at a rate per tonne according to the natureof the waste recycled or disposed of. There is a residual annual levy,apportioned on the basis of council tax-base, for overheads and civicamenity waste.

The estimated costs to constituent councils for 2015-16 compared tothe original budgeted cost in 2014-15 are shown in the table below.

2015-16 2015-16 2015-16 2014-15 Direct Total Total Increase/ Increase/Council costs Levy costs costs (Decrease) (Decrease)

£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 %

Hammersmith and Fulham 9,123 1,298 10,421 10,398 23 0.22

Kensington and Chelsea 9,118 1,673 10,791 11,106 (315) (2.84)

Lambeth 13,778 1,763 15,541 16,297 (756) (4.64)

Wandsworth 11,879 2,175 14,054 14,101 (47) (0.33)

Total 43,898 6,910 50,808 51,902 (1,094) (2.11)Please note total discrepancies may be due to rounding

Total net costs to constituent councils have decreased by 2.1%compared to the original budget for 2014-15. The 2015-16 reductionreflects reduced capital financing charges as a result of the repaymentof a proportion of Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) loans during2014-15.

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

LONDON PENSIONS FUND AUTHORITY (LPFA)The London Pensions Fund Authority (LPFA) raises a levy each year tomeet expenditure on premature retirement compensation andoutstanding personnel matters for which LPFA is responsible andcannot charge to the pension fund. These payments relate to formeremployees of the Greater London Council (GLC), the Inner LondonEducation Authority (ILEA) and the London Residuary Body (LRB).

For 2015-16, the income to be raised by levies is set out below. TheGreater London levy is payable in all boroughs, the Inner London levyonly in Inner London Boroughs (including the City of London). Thefigures show the total to be raised and, in brackets, the percentagechange on the previous year.

• Inner London £13,065,000 (0%)

• Greater London £10,318,000 (0%)

• Total £23,383,000 (0%)


ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

The Environment Agency is a levying body for its Flood and CoastalErosion Risk Management Functions under the Flood and WaterManagement Act 2010 and the Environment Agency (Levies) (Englandand Wales) Regulations 2011.The Environment Agency has powers in respect of flood and coastalerosion risk management for 5,200 kilometres of main river and alongtidal and sea defences in the area of the Thames Regional Flood andCoastal Committee. Money is spent on the construction of new flooddefence schemes, the maintenance of the river system and existingflood defences together with the operation of a flood warning systemand management of the risk of coastal erosion. The financial detailsare:

Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee 2014-15 2015-16 ’000 ’000Gross Expenditure £63,731 £74,750Levies Raised £10,500 £10,700Total Council Tax Base 4,556 4,674

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 willattract full central funding. To provide ‘matching’ funding the Agencymay seek funding from County and Metropolitan Councils, UnitaryAuthorities and London Boroughs in the form of a Local Levy. The LocalLevy is shared on the basis of Band D Equivalents between allcontributing bodies within the Committee Area.Changes in the Gross Budgeted expenditure between the years bothreflects the impact of the Government Spending Review and nationalprioritisation of projects. For 2015-16 we have included Grant AidedExpenditure on all Risk Management Authority Programs, The totalLocal Levy raised has increased by 1.99%. The total Local Levy hasincreased from £10,500,000 in 2014-15 to £10,699,500 for 2015-16.


Streetline 020 7361 3001 [email protected]

Environmental Healthline 020 7361 3002 [email protected]

Arts and Leisureline 020 7361 3003 [email protected]

Parkingline 020 7361 3004 [email protected]

Council Taxline 020 7361 3005 [email protected]

Benefitsline 020 7361 3006 [email protected]

Business Ratesline 020 8315 2082 [email protected]

Paymentsline 020 7795 8888 www.rbkc.gov.uk/onlinepayments

Housingline 020 7361 3008 [email protected]

Educationline 020 7361 3009 [email protected]

Librariesline 020 7361 3010 [email protected]

Recruitmentline 020 7361 3011 [email protected]

Planningline 020 7361 3012 [email protected]

Social Servicesline 020 7361 3013 [email protected]

Fraudline 020 7361 2777 [email protected]

Your call may be recorded for training or monitoring purposes.

www.rbkc.gov.ukYou can contact our main services directly by using these phonenumbers and email addresses

35 Contacting the Council

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