A planned approach

Our rolling three year budget process helps to plan ahead, make savings and ensure we do what we can to minimise the impact of savings on our residents.

There is continued uncertainty over our future funding. After several years of cuts to our budget, the Government has provided some respite in its recent one year settlement. However, the Government is currently looking at changes to the way councils are funded which could lead to London boroughs being worse off.

At the moment, we have the seventh lowest council tax rate in the capital and minimise the impact of council tax with one of the most generous council tax reduction schemes in the country.

We also remain among the highest spending boroughs per head in London for many of our frontline services. In many cases this reflects the local pressures and needs across the borough. We also need to maintain a clear focus on delivering good value for the services we continue to provide.

How we spend compared to other councils

Compared to other London councils, Tower Hamlets is:

• The third highest spender on public health.
• The highest spender on education.
• The highest spender on community safety.
• Spending on average £6.94 per person on the prevention of social care and early intervention support compared with the London average of £3.66.
• The fourth highest spender on economic development.
• The third highest spender on adult services.