The Royal Borough of Greenwich is in a strong position compared to councils across the UK, but we’re still feeling the enormous impact of 14 years of underfunding by the previous government.
Last year, the council made tough but necessary decisions to deliver £33.7 million in savings to ensure we remain a well-managed council that adapts to increasing challenges. This year we needed to save £43.4 million to allow us to keep providing high quality services – such as protecting our young people and their wellbeing, helping residents as they grow older, and addressing the increasing challenges brought on by the cost of living and temporary accommodation crises.
Thanks to these decisions our draft budget, which is subject to approval on 26 February, allows further investments of £11 million to enhance services for children and young people, £20 million to improve care for older adults and those with complex needs, increased funding to fill potholes and £200,000 to build on the work of opening Emotional Wellbeing Hubs for children and young people. To do this, and ensure we balance our books and keep our services well run, we have no choice but to make the tough decision to raise Council Tax by 4.99%.
Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: “Our draft budget serves as a stark reminder of the financial realities created by decades of underfunding by the previous government. This damage cannot be done overnight, but we’re picking up the pieces through smart investments, sensible decisions and reimagining the way we deliver our services – we will continue to work with central government to secure fair, long-term funding for all councils.
“The good news is that we’ve received a better financial settlement this year, which will help us continue improving services. We’ve also been successful in finding innovative ways to reduce the costs of temporary accommodation, which have been crippling other councils.”
Councillor Denise Hyland, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Social Value, said: “Thanks to difficult decisions made last year, we can invest where it truly counts – into our communities and our future. We have listened to what residents want and are keeping our focus on maintaining high services across the board, such as investing in our parks and creating a greener borough as well as making our streets safer and transforming our children’s adventure play centres.
“This couldn’t have been accomplished without a thorough review of our services to ensure we continue delivering excellent value for money without compromising the vision we have for our borough.”
Key proposals for 2025-2026:
Launching a £1 million Community Energy Fund: We are proposing a £1million investment towards our co-operative vision ‘Together for Greenwich’, making it easier to create businesses that are owned and run by its members, who share profits and decision-making equally. As part of this, we will be launching a Community Energy Fund, to provide grants to local projects that help us reach our goal of being a carbon neutral borough.
£820,000 into improving adventure play centres: We have already invested £1 million in modernising play areas, including refurbishing playgrounds and upgrading sports facilities. With this new investment, we will be reviewing our adventure play centres and launching a public consultation to discuss any changes to reflect the needs of families in our community.
Maryon Wilson Park: In addition to the investments and improvements we will be making to adventure play centres across the borough, we will also be taking steps to begin the closure of Maryon Wilson Animal Park. We’ll give the community time to submit a plan to run Maryon Wilson independently, otherwise we will look into allowing the Riding School for the Disabled to use the site.
£150,000 to help transform the way our libraries are run: We recognise the importance of libraries in our communities. Royal Greenwich has 13 libraries, one of the highest numbers in London. While some of our libraries with lower footfall will likely see adjusted opening hours, we are also looking to introduce new technology, allowing others to remain open without staff on specific days. A public consultation will be held to discuss these changes to reflect the needs of our residents.
£680,000 to create more sustainable streets: We’re listening to our communities who raised concerns about safety on our roads, sustainable streets are a practical way we can make our streets safer and greener.
Social care and housing support: Like every other council, we’re experiencing growing demand for social care, temporary accommodation, and support for those struggling to make ends meet. While we are working hard to reduce costs, particularly in temporary accommodation, we know there may be more difficult decisions to make in the future, including increasing some fees where funding falls short of demand.
Council Tax and services: We understand that it is a difficult time to be asking for more, however, we have made the difficult decision to raise Council Tax to ensure we can continue protecting services that residents rely on. Following a consultation, we are also changing how we support residents with their Council Tax bills. We know that many residents will be concerned about the upcoming changes, so we will use our Discretionary Hardship Fund to ensure that no resident is left behind during the transition, and we will continue to offer face to face advice for those who need it.
If you’re worried about the cost of living crisis, you can visit our in-person Advice Hubs at community centres across the borough.
Alternatively, call 020 8921 6375 on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 10am to 1pm. Or send an online enquiry.
