City of Westminster (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Westminster Labour unveils budget prioritizing social care, public safety, housing, and cost-of-living support, while making £30m in efficiencies to protect vital services.
In order to ease the expense of adult social care, Westminster City Council has announced a significant new investment of £2.6 million.
This means that while diligent care assistants will now earn more, hundreds of senior social care users will no longer be responsible for paying for care.
This includes £1.4 million to raise the wages of the 400+ personal care aides who work directly with residents of Westminster.
In addition to helping more people who utilize adult social care hire the carer with a more competitive salary, this will enhance the quality of care for those receiving it. Recipients of direct payments will now be entitled to pay their personal assistant an extra £1.50 to £2.00 per hour.
To ensure that everyone, regardless of age, pays the same amount for social care, £1.2 million will be used to level the playing field.
More than 460 persons under 65 will benefit from this by keeping more of their income before paying for care, and hundreds of those with lower incomes won’t have to pay for care at all.
An additional £1.2 million to combat rough sleeping and assist individuals in moving off the sidewalks to safer areas is one of the other significant measures in Labour’s budget.
The demand on Temporary Accommodation to spend an extra £140 million on purchasing and renovating temporary housing is lessened as a result.
An additional £1 million for cost-of-living assistance, including supermarket food coupons, a hardship fund, free school lunches during breaks, and assistance from specialized advice centers.
An additional £1 million will be invested in the Rent Support Fund to assist low-income council tenants whose rent is not covered by housing benefits in adjusting to rising rents.
Putting £10 million into Paddington and Bayswater’s high streets to boost local businesses and give vibrancy to the communities.
Investing money into the recently launched Pimlico Program to aid in community development.
The Ernest Harris House, which opens this spring, and the Pimlico Community Hub, which will be built on the site of the former Pimlico Library, will both be funded.
An extra £2 million will be used for city management and anti-social initiatives around the city, such as hiring eight new City Inspectors and tripling the number of CCTV cameras on the streets to 200, with 40 of those cameras located in the West End.
Through initiatives including increased contract efficiency and the transition to an electric cleaning and rubbish fleet, the Council will also generate fresh savings of about £30 million by 2028.
The budget lays forth specific expenditure intentions for the Housing Revenue Account, which is used to manage over 20,000 houses owned by local authorities.
The business strategy calls for £916 million in capital expenditures over the following five years and £2.5 billion over the next thirty. In accordance with its capital strategy, the budget also lays out the business plan for financing the council’s fairer Westminster agenda.
The Council is suggesting a £2.5 billion gross capital program through 2038–2039, which will be largely offset by over £1.2 billion in income, leaving a £1.3 billion net budget.
Westminster still has the second-lowest council tax rate in the nation, even with the magnitude of the new investment.
The increase is only 48p per week for a Band D* property. The entire increase in the Westminster City Council share of the Council Tax is 4.99 percent, which includes 2.99 percent for council services and 2 percent for the adult social care element.
With Westminster boosting its council tax by £78 less than Conservative Bexley and £16 less than nearby Kensington and Chelsea, this will be the second-lowest rise in the amount of money paid in London.
Cllr Adam Hug, Labour Leader of Westminster City Council, said:
“Rising bills and cost of living pressures impact on everyone and I’m glad we have been able to ensure hundreds of Westminster residents no longer need to pay for their social care.
We have also been able to look after the carers who will now receive increased pay – that is only right for people who often work long hours and provide a lifeline to vulnerable people.
This Budget is providing security in three big ways – security at home, on the streets, and the safety net of a City Council that will do what it can to look after you when you need care. This is what drives our mission to create a fairer Westminster.”
The eight City Inspectors are an additional resource to the creation of the street-based intervention team announced in January.
The increase in direct payments will enable users to pay their PAs between £1.50 and £2 per hour. Giving more people the confidence to use the direct payment option for their care requirements is another goal of this adjustment.
Individuals who use social care have the option of arranging their own care by getting paid directly or letting the council handle it.
The majority of people who choose for a direct payment utilize the money to hire a Personal Assistant (PA) to assist in carrying out their care plan.
By accepting a PA, the recipient essentially turns into an employer, with all of the associated legal, financial, and practical obligations.
We assist recipients with digital platforms, insurance advice, and payroll alternatives in order to make this as easy as possible.
What specific measures are being taken to support cost of living issues?
To lessen the financial strain brought on by growing expenses, the budget allots money for direct transfers to low-income households.
For people who are having difficulty paying for housing, an extra £6.4 million is allocated to combating homelessness and offering temporary housing.
The goal of funding community services is to help locals get the help and resources they need to get through any financial challenges they may have.
To guarantee that residents who are at risk have access to wholesome food, the council may put in place initiatives that offer food coupons or encourage community dinners.
To assist households in managing growing energy expenditures, especially during the winter, the budget may contain provisions for energy grants or subsidies.