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Barnet council to freeze General Council Tax for 2022/23

Published:

Budget 2022/23

Budget 2022/23

Councillors have approved Barnet Council’s budget and agreed to freeze General Council Tax for the financial year 2022/23 at a meeting on Tuesday evening (1 March). Council Tax in Barnet in 2022/23 will be £1350.70 for a Band D property, lower than that for neighbouring North London boroughs.

Barnet’s Council Tax will, however, include a 1 per cent Adult Social Care Precept to meet the rising costs of supporting the borough’s growing elderly adult population, especially those with extra and complex needs.

In line with the Chancellor’s announcement in January, approximately 83,000 households are expected to receive a Council Tax rebate of £150, thanks to central government funding. This is aimed at supporting low-income households with the cost-of-living increase.

Barnet Council will have a budget of £344.546million over the next year, covering services including bin collections, street cleaning, maintaining our roads and pavements, and providing social care for adults and children.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Dan Thomas, said:

“The rising cost of living is becoming a concern for many, and it is right that your council does what it can to help residents most affected. That is why the council is freezing General Council Tax this year.

“Having frozen Council Tax for nine consecutive years until 2019, increases are not decisions we take lightly. In 2021-22 Barnet’s Council Tax rate was lower than that of any of our neighbours: Enfield, Haringey, Camden, Brent, and Harrow. This is just as it has been throughout this administration, and I am proud that it will remain this way in the year to come.

“While achieving this we continue to deliver top-quality services and value for money for every resident by investing in street cleansing, tackling anti-social behaviour, and ensuring our parks and green spaces are great places to enjoy.

“We are investing £780,000 to upgrade our CCTV network and we have established a new, uniformed Community Safety Team to patrol town centres and parks.

“We have also set an ambitious target for the council, as an organisation, to be ‘carbon net zero’ by 2030 and we will assist the borough to achieve the same by 2050, at the latest.”

In 2022/23, the council will not increase General Council Tax and is applying an Adult Social Care Precept of 1 per cent. This will mean a total increase of 1 per cent - an extra £13.37 per year for a Band D property.

In addition, this year's Council Tax will also include an 8.78 per cent increase in the Greater London Authority GLA precept - an extra £31.93 - now £395.59 for a Band D property. The GLA precept is set by the Mayor of London and the council has no control over this sum.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Comparison of Council Tax rates for North London borough councils for Band D for the financial year 2022/23

The below has been sourced from the various council budget documents:

  • Barnet - £1350.70
  • Brent - £1419.48
  • Camden - £1396.64
  • Enfield - £1446.12
  • Haringey - £1484.13
  • Harrow - £1646.50