Liberal Democrats double down on services in Brent
At the Brent Council Budget Meeting on 27 February, the Liberal Democrats highlighted the need to Clean Up Brent and fix crumbling pavements and roads.
To tackle the current neglect Liberal Democrats proposed increased investment, including:
- Return of litter bins in residential streets (removed by Labour)
- Increased night time enforcement to tackle street drinking, littering and dumping
- Scrapping Labour's increase in charges for bulky waste removal (set to rise to £55)
- £10 million investment in upgrading pavements and resurfacing potholed roads.
- Better co-ordination with Utility Companies when they dig up local roads
The leader of the Liberal Democrats spoke up for local people at the Council Meeting when he said:
"Brent has become a dirty and filthy place as a result of all the Cuts in street cleaning services imposed by Labour Councillors over the years. Local residents deserve better, especially as Labour is once again raising the Council Tax by another 5%".
Cllr Hannah Matin and Cllr Charlie Clinton also spoke up to highlight the importance to increasing funding to street cleaning, tackling anti-social behaviour, and proper maintenance of our parks and open spaces.
In addition to our proposals to increase investment in key services, we also challenged Labour's plans to cut council tax support, while raising council tax the maximum amount yet again. Cllr Paul Lorber highlighted the drastic impact this change would have on some of our most vulnerable residents, in some cases increasing Council Tax bills from £0 to over £600 at a stroke. Our budget amendment included proposals to double the support that Labour is proposing to offset these new changes.
Recognising the tough times faced by all local councils, our proposals were funded through a combination of finding additional savings, delivering better financial management of Brent Councils property portfolio, repurposing the New Homes Bonus, use of CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) funds, and some use of reserves in the short term to ensure we can deliver the services Brent residents deserve.
The full budget amendment can be found on Brent Council's website.