Enfield council tax bills could rise by nearly £100

A 4.99 per cent rise in council tax was approved by the borough’s top decision-makers at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

It is made up of a 1.99 per cent rise in core tax and a 3 per cent increase in a levy used to fund adult social care.

City Hall wants to hike its share of council tax by more than 9 per cent – but there is a question mark over whether this will go ahead after the Mayor of London’s budget was voted down by members of the London Assembly in January.

READ MORE: Sadiq Khan's proposed GLA budget voted down by London Assembly

Taken together, the rises would push band D bills up by £99.63 in 2021-22, to £1,795.47.

Enfield Council set out plans to invest £560,000 in adults and children’s Services in its budget for the coming financial year, including £260,000 for extra social workers.

There is £150,000 of planned investment in the housing repairs and maintenance budget, along with £350,000 towards funding the council’s IT service.

Speaking during the meeting, cabinet member for finance Cllr Mary Maguire (Labour, Palmers Green) said the budget was designed to protect the most vulnerable people in the borough.

She claimed the Government’s decision to allow council tax to increase amounted to a “Covid tax” on the residents of Enfield.

Cllr Maguire also warned of uncertainty over the amount of council tax that would be collected following a 163 per cent rise in unemployment in the borough during the first half of 2020.

Council leader Cllr Nesil Caliskan (Labour, Jubilee) said: “We have set a balanced budget once again, but we have also set a good budget that deliver the policies and the commitments we have made to the residents of Enfield.”

The leader added that the council would continue to deliver services for those who are most in need and “invest in those services that will help support all our communities in what is quite a difficult period ahead”.

If the budget is approved by full council, the tax increase will take effect from April.

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