Hammersmith and Fulham’s Labour cabinet member for finance, Councillor Rowan Ree, has warned that efficiency savings alone will not be enough to close the council’s projected funding gap.
Government funding for the borough is projected to fall from £150.5 million in 2025-26 to £72.4 million by 2029-30 under the new funding settlement, and the council estimates it could face a budget gap of around £160 million over the period.
Ree, Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform, said the authority’s existing programme of efficiency savings, which the council says has saved £156 million since 2014, would no longer be sufficient on its own.
Residents to be consulted
Among the options being examined are substantial increases in the council’s element of council tax, although no final decision has been taken.
Ree said residents would be consulted before decisions were made and that the council’s priority was protecting the services local people value. The cabinet is due to consider the options on 12 October.
