A BUDGET with £18million worth of cuts – and a council tax freeze – has been passed by Brent Council.
The Labour administration used its majority to approve its own spending plans, at a full council meeting held at Brent Civic Centre, in Engineers Way, Wembley, on Monday.
Council leader Muhammed Butt (Labour) said: “I’m proud that despite cuts from the Conservative-Liberal Democrat government totalling over £100m, Brent Council has passed a budget to protect vital frontline services and our most vulnerable residents.
“We know that, with the coalition’s cost of living crisis squeezing family budgets, a bigger tax bill is the last thing local people need. That’s why we’ve frozen council tax in Brent for the fifth year running.
“This budget includes a £100m school building and expansion programme, and an ambitious plan to build almost 3,000 affordable homes in our borough by 2018. Not only will these programmes result in much needed school places and new homes for local families, they will create jobs for people throughout Brent.”
In total, £17.8m worth of savings are proposed, which were described in a report to members as including ‘substantial efficiency savings, such as more than £3m from senior management and corporate services and £2.8m from adopting vacancy factors in staffing budgets.”
It is expected further savings of £52.8million will have to be made from 2015 to 2017 and the council expects to make further savings beyond that.
The meeting also passed a motion to formalise the council’s opposition to the controversial High Speed 2 rail development to connect London to Birmingham and the north.
The scheme is opposed on three grounds: “The first issue is that the Bill seeks powers for the compulsory acquisition of land in South Kilburn, which does not appear to be required to implement the proposed new high speed railway line.
“The second is the proposal to construct a ventilation shaft and auto transformer on an important proposed development site in South Kilburn, next to Queens Park Station.
“The third is the lack of provision within the current HS2 proposals for a new rail connection between the new high speed railway and Crossrail lines and the West Coast Main Line.”
