So, I welcome the Government’s budget announcement to lift the two-child benefit cap – a decision that will support up to 2,500 families in Haringey and something I lobbied for along with my cabinet members.
Measures to raise the minimum wage and reduce energy bills must also be applauded. They share and help deliver our priority to reduce inequality and poverty.
These bold national steps build on the local action we are taking to tackle the cost-of-living pressures we know our residents are facing.
This year alone, we are spending £34.4 million on our Council Tax Reduction Scheme, which supports more than 20 per cent of households in the borough and is part of our extensive Here to Help initiative – ensuring residents get the support available to them.
While the Chancellor’s budget will make a very real difference to families who have spent years watching every penny, we are still facing huge challenges delivering the vital services our residents need.
I recently met with Local Government secretary of state Steve Reed MP to press the case for fair funding as setting council budgets gets more difficult every year.
Rapidly increasing demand and costs for key services alongside substantially lower funding per person than the national average means we are having to deal with unprecedented financial pressures.
We now have around £143 million less in core government funding in real terms than it did in 2010 – a brutal 55% drop.
We welcome the extra money the new government has announced to tackle homelessness and invest in placemaking.
And we’re pleased that the new local government funding formula will now incorporate housing costs and is expected to more accurately reflect the high deprivation levels in some parts of Haringey.
The Government was never going to be able to reverse 15 years of austerity-driven cuts overnight, but it is clear they appreciate the value of public services councils like Haringey provides.
We will continue to work with them to ensure we build our financial stability and will be relentless in our drive to protect and deliver the services our residents rely on.
Last week, we released our draft budget proposals with residents and businesses encouraged to get involved ahead of consideration by all councillors next March.
Our focus as a council is delivering on over £40 million worth of savings already identified across the 25/26 and 26/27 budgets, so we are not proposing significant numbers of new savings proposals.
We want to put residents at the heart of everything we do. So please have your say and help shape our spending plans: hharingeybudget2026.commonplace.is
We will only be able to navigate these challenging times together.
- Peray Ahmet is the leader of Haringey Council.
