Dear resident,

Over the past year the cost of living crisis has turned lives upside down - many of us are now struggling to afford basics such as food, heating and rent. This isn’t just a news story, I’ve heard firsthand from residents who are struggling to make ends meet.

As a council we’ve offered help through Greenwich Supports, which will have provided nearly £1 million to residents facing unexpected hardship by the end of April. Many of the people we’re helping have income through their job or a pension, but it’s not enough. As a result, our Emergency Support payments have increased by 150%, and we’ve given 21,000 people Council Tax Support.

We’ve been asking how we can best support people through this crisis and 2,000 of you responded to our survey – telling us how best we can help and which services are vital to you. Residents have also worked with us to develop Our Greenwich, our shared vision for the future of our borough. We want to develop our services by focusing on the things that matter to you.

We’ve listened to what you’ve said to help us make some difficult decisions about how the council should spend money in the future.

Councils receive government funding to run services, and this is topped up by Council Tax which also funds the police and transport across London. We also access as many other grants and funding opportunities as possible to increase our budgets.

Over the past ten years our government funding has been reduced by large amounts, we have spent money battling a pandemic and, like you, we are now faced with the highest inflation levels for nearly 50 years. We’ve had to absorb around £150m in budget reductions by the government since 2010, but the services we provide now cost much more than they did even just a year ago.

To continue providing essential services we have no choice but to increase Council Tax payments.

The table below shows how much this will cost you:

*To find out what property band your home is visit www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands

It is not easy to ask you to pay more at a time when I know many people are worried about their money. Our promise to you now is that we will use our budget to protect frontline services and invest in what you told us matters.

Over the next year, we are going to use our budget to invest nearly £1million in Greenwich Supports to make sure help is there for those that need it. We’re going to put nearly £1million into our transport network, to make it easier and greener to get around. We are also putting an additional £1.8million in waste services, to keep your town centres clean and to crack down on fly-tipping. These are just some of the areas we are focusing on.

We’re going to do all we can with what we have and are here to support any resident who needs it.

Royal Greenwich has the most generous Council Tax relief scheme in London. If you are worried about the increase, or want advice about the cost of living, visit royalgreenwich.gov.uk/greenwich-supports

You can also view your Council Tax balance, see and download your bills and make payments, through our online service. Sign up online.

I am very proud to be Leader of your Council and to see the strength and ambition individuals and communities have for our borough.

Thank you for all you do in making Royal Greenwich a united place to live.

Yours sincerely,

Cllr Anthony Okereke Leader,

Royal Borough of Greenwich