It is that time of year again, a time to focus on what you’ve achieved in the past year and reflect on what you might want to get done next year.
I would like to start by reflecting on what we’ve delivered this year.
Because of the cost of living crisis, the council has kept council tax low, you now pay less than you did in 2010 when accounting for inflation. And we are ruthlessly efficient with your money, so we can invest more in the things that make the most difference in making your life better, and our incredible 7 towns even better places to live.
What are we doing?
We are also providing one of the most generous council tax support schemes in London to ensure there’s support for residents who need help to make ends meet.
We are delivering for our young people, 98% of our schools are rated good or outstanding. Delivering a good quality education is fundamental to make the borough a great place to grow up.
We are tackling the housing crisis. This year we have massively stepped-up purchasing homes. We have bought 290 new units as they are built to use as social housing. These are safe affordable homes for local people who need them.
We are also tackling the climate crisis with more trees, 40,500 delivered so far as well as the second highest recycling rate in London.
We are delivering more adaptations so people can stay in their own home when they need care. We know that the ability to stay at home hugely improves people’s ability to recover and live a good life into old age.
We are also making the borough safer. This year we have extended our public space protection order which gives the police extra powers to tackle street drinking and other anti-social behaviour in our high streets and parks, we’ve installed more CCTV cameras, and we’ve brightened street lighting in areas that most need it.
The council is delivering on your priorities because we are on your side. There’s much more to do next year but before the new year comes, I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.
