Opposition Conservative councillors have published a detailed analysis of Greenwich Council’s proposed budget for the coming year, revealing £26 million in non-frontline efficiency savings – after years of what they call “denial and delay” from Labour councillors. Conservative proposals which would continue local ‘Greenwich Supports’ Advice Hubs – funded by removing further inefficiencies from the Council’s Budget – will be put to a Town Hall vote on 6th March.
In early February, Labour-run Greenwich Council published plans to reduce spending by £33.7 million in the 2024/25 financial year, despite a further increase in central Government funding. Labour’s budget proposals include £6 million of cuts which will affect children’s centres, library opening hours, school crossing patrols and other frontline services – as well as a controversial plan to cut the borough’s Council Tax Support scheme.
Conservative councillors say that the difficult decisions the Council is now facing would have been “much less difficult” had Labour councillors listened to years of warnings about wasteful spending elsewhere in the Council’s budget. Their analysis shows that 76% of Labour’s planned savings in 2024/25 – totalling £26 million – are not cuts, but are instead non-frontline efficiency savings, which the Council’s own proposals admit will have no negative impact on residents.
Councillor Matt Hartley, Leader of the Opposition on Greenwich Council, said:
“After years of denial and delay, the Labour councillors who run our borough now admit there is £26 million of waste and inefficiency that can be taken out of Greenwich Council’s annual budget. Many of these savings could have been made much earlier – and that money is now lost forever.
“Families are paying the cost for this inaction, with likely closures of children’s centres, reduced library opening hours and the rest of Labour’s £6 million frontline cuts in the next year. Even now, the administration is refusing to go further in making Greenwich Council more efficient to avoid the need for future cuts. And the Leader of the Council’s baffling decision to increase communications spending is making the situation even worse.
“Setting the Council’s budget is about making choices – so I’m giving Labour a simple choice at the Town Hall. They can vote to continue to waste taxpayers money on glossy PR, or they can vote for my fully-costed proposal to continue the Greenwich Supports Advice Hubs.
“The Advice Hubs are helping thousands of local people deal with the cost of living, housing, welfare and other issues – and Labour councillors should accept my proposal to make sure this important work can continue over the coming years.”
Charlie Davis, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Eltham and Chislehurst, added:
“For years local Conservative councillors in Greenwich have called on successive Labour administrations to get serious about running the Council more efficiently. Families are now going to feel and see the effects of Labour’s failure, as spending on frontline services is impacted. The Labour Party can try all they want to apportion blame elsewhere, but these are their own decisions. Local residents are paying the price for the inaction of the Labour establishment that runs Greenwich borough.”
Wednesday’s Budget debate follows confirmation that central Government funding for Greenwich Council has increased by £15 million going into the 2024/25 financial year, bringing the total increase to £55 million since the current Parliament began in 2019.
The Opposition’s detailed analysis shows that the Labour-run Council’s Budget proposals comprise:
- £25.6 million saved in 2024/25 (76% of the total) through 69 efficiency proposals that deliver the same or better outcomes for residents for less cost
- £6.3 million (19% of the total) cut from the budget through 24 different service cuts (either in whole or in part), with children’s centres, library opening hours, street cleaning and school crossing patrols among the services affected
- £1.8 million (5% of the total) raised from increasing charges, including on garden waste collection, and finding new ways to generate income
The full analysis shows how, in the Council’s own words, many of the £26 million in efficiency savings will variously have “no impact on residents”, “no discernible impact” and “no impact on service delivery”, by “optimising performance”, “reducing unnecessary cost” and “streamlining internal processes”. Many will deliver “improved outcomes for residents”, “improved quality and value for money” and lead to a “positive impact for service users”.
Conservative councillors are proposing two fully-costed amendments to the Budget, which will be voted on at the Town Hall on 6th March The amendments would:
- Continue to fund Greenwich Supports Advice Hubs, which provide advice on welfare rights, housing, the cost of living and other issues, from fixed hubs in Greenwich, Woolwich and Eltham
- Top up the borough’s Emergency Support Scheme for vulnerable residents, following the expected end of the government’s Household Support Fund
- Reverse the Leader of the Council’s recent expansion of the Communications team and reduce other PR-related spending across the Council
- Set out a way to protect the future of the borough’s 100% Council Tax Support scheme, which Conservative councillors successfully campaigned for and which Labour now plans to cut after five years of operation
The Opposition Conservative Group’s fully costed Budget proposals are available here.
The agenda for the meeting can be found here and the meeting can be watched online from 7pm on Thursday 23rd February here.
