Hillingdon Council is discussing with the government the possibility of receiving Exceptional Financial Support due to soaring demand for services and significant underfunding.
One of the main areas of demand for the council continues to be delivering temporary accommodation and homelessness support to those in need, which is a particular challenge for Hillingdon given the location of Heathrow Airport as a major port of entry into the UK in the council’s boundaries.
Coupled with the additional £500,000 cost generated by the government’s National Insurance increase, this has placed “a spiralling strain” on the council’s finances.
The council is also waiting on the outcome of the government’s Fair Funding Review, which indicates that Hillingdon Council has been severely underfunded for several years.
Councillor Ian Edwards, Leader of the council, said: “We have a proud record of fighting hard to keep more money in our residents’ pockets by keeping council tax low and operating as a low spending authority receiving less core funding than other similar outer London boroughs.
“However, the pressure on our finances has never been greater, and the scale of the financial challenge and demand for our services has continued to mount with no sign of abating. We are glad that our repeated calls for fair funding and recompense for our asylum costs are being heard by the government, and we have entered these discussions to try and ensure that the money owed to us is provided in the fastest, most efficient way possible.
“Our work will continue to champion residents to ensure they don’t pay as much as other boroughs.”
Seven other councils in London are also seeking Exceptional Financial Support from the government.
Photo credit: London Borough of Hillingdon Facebook
0 Comments