The meeting approved the council’s budget for 2025-26 and appointed an interim chief executive. It also discussed the Council Tax Support Scheme and a petition presented by a Councillor asking the council to rethink its policy of dimming streetlights.

Council Tax Support Scheme

The Council approved changes to the Council Tax Support Scheme (CTSS) for working-age applicants. The most significant change will be that all working-age residents will now contribute at least 25% of their Council Tax liability. Previously, under a banding system, those on the lowest incomes paid nothing at all.
The changes are being implemented to make savings for the General Fund. They will also align the CTSS with the methodology used for Universal Credit. A new hardship fund has been established to mitigate the effects of the changes on those facing significant financial hardship. Payments from the fund will be made at the discretion of the council and will generally be used to offset increased Council Tax liability. A consultation on the scheme was carried out between October and December 2024. 124 responses were received and 56% of respondents did not support the changes. 25% of respondents agreed that it was fair to ask everyone to contribute towards their Council Tax bill. An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) was carried out on the changes to the scheme. It found that the changes are likely to disproportionately impact single women with children and disabled people. Black people and white people may also be disproportionately impacted.

Budget 2025/26

The Council approved the revenue and capital budgets for 2025-26. The budget includes a 4.99% increase in Council Tax. This comprises a 2% general increase and a 2% Adult Social Care precept. The Council Tax for a Band D property will be £1,595.44. The Mayor of London has proposed a 4.03% increase in the GLA precept¹ for Band D properties, meaning that Hounslow residents will see an overall increase of 4.76%. The Council acknowledged that local authorities across the country are facing significant financial challenges due to 14 years of cuts to public spending. The Council is facing a budget shortfall of £30 million and is implementing various savings measures, including the changes to the Council Tax Support Scheme, to mitigate this. The Council also plans to draw down £28.1m from its reserves² to balance the budget. The budget includes £12.2m of new permanent savings. These include:

• £4m from changes to the Council Tax Support Scheme.
• £2m from a temporary reduction in the amount contributed to the Performance Improvement Fund.
• £500k from the Efficient Use of Resources Project, which aims to recover more care charges.
• £500k from reductions in agency spend across the council.
• £350k from the use of Community Infrastructure Levy funding to offset the need for borrowing.
• £200k by increasing advertising income from external marketing assets.
• £200k from an uplift to swimming charges.
• £200k by implementing the emissions based charging policy in the Parking Strategy.
• £189k from the deletion of 2 vacant posts following a review of the Hounslow Management Group.
• £150k from the re-procurement of the ASC Supported Living contract.
• £133k from reducing the General Fund contribution to the Thriving Communities Fund.
• £124k from deleting two existing vacant posts in the Executive Office.
• £120k from the delivery of the Transforming Community Experience (TCE) Programme.
• £100k from increasing court summons fees.
• £100k from increased capitalisation for capital delivery roles.
• £95k by seeking cost efficiencies across the Digital & IT function.
• £90k from changes to the Handyperson service.
• £80k from reducing the size of the Finance team trainee scheme.
• £70k by expanding the range of services offered in Planning pre-application advice.
• £69k from reducing the budget for Area Forums.
• £65k from the deletion of a vacant post in the Transformation service.
• £50k from reviewing the delivery structures in the Climate team.
• £50k from the re-procurement of the Supported Living contract.
• £35k by streamlining the use of assets.
• £32k by reducing the amount spent on special events.
• £30k from efficiencies in the Procurement function.
• £25k from removal of the subsidy for the Prison Library service.
• £20k from maximising highways reinstatement charges.
• £20k from a review of tree maintenance across the Highways network.
• £20k from reviewing capitalisation levels.
• £20k by reviewing the statutory notices contract.
• £15k by reducing operating costs within the Legal Hub.
• £10k by increasing income from the Design Review Panel.
• £1m from a temporary reduction to the Performance Improvement Fund. Appendix B1 of the budget report contains more detail on these savings. The budget report also contains the proposed fees and charges schedule, the capital programme, the Treasury Management Strategy, and an updated Capital Strategy.

Petitions

A petition presented by Councillor Samina Nagra, relating to a noise nuisance in the Bedford Lane area of Feltham was noted for recording purposes only, as it has been resolved since being submitted to the Council. A further petition, relating to the dimming of street lights across the borough was presented by Councillor Ron Mushiso. It has been signed by over 1,000 residents, who are concerned about the impact on safety. The petition urges the council to reverse this decision. Councillor Mushiso argued that the dimming of street lighting is an “invitation to crime”, citing the murder of Sarah Everard³ and highlighting 30 locations reported to the Metropolitan Police via their StreetSafe website.
The petition was debated. Councillor Shivraj Grewal stated that the policy of dimming streetlights is not intended to compromise residents’ safety, will be reviewed and could result in increased lighting in some areas. The Council confirmed that the dimming of streetlights has been taking place since 2016 and that it is implemented in consultation with both the Metropolitan Police Safety Team and the Council’s Community Safety team.

Appointment of Interim Chief Executive

The Council appointed Mandy Skinner as the Interim Chief Executive, to replace Niall Bolger who stepped down from the role at the end of January. Ms Skinner will remain in post until a permanent successor is appointed. The Council also delegated authority to the Director of HR and OD to appoint an executive search agency to assist with the recruitment process. Councillor Gerald McGregor put on record his thanks to Mr Bolger for his work over many years.

External Audit

The External Audit Completion Report for 2023/24 was considered and approved. This would normally go to the Audit and Governance Committee, however it was brought to the full Council due to a national shortage of auditors. The Council delegated authority to approve the report to the Audit and Governance Committee. The council’s accounts received a “disclaimed opinion” from the auditors, Forvis Mazars. This is because the audit was not fully completed due to the “backstop date” of 28 February, introduced by the Government. To ensure councils meet the statutory deadline for publishing their audited accounts, in September 2024, the Government set “backstop dates” for their completion. In response to these backstop deadlines, the National Audit Office, with the endorsement of the Financial Reporting Council, issued “Local Audit Reset and Recovery Implementation Guidance”, which allows councils to make a “disclaimed opinion” from the auditors if the audit is not fully complete. The areas that were not covered by the audit will be subject to recovery work as part of the audit of the accounts for 2024/25. A full audit of the Pension Fund was carried out. The Pension Fund accounts have therefore received an unqualified opinion from the auditors. The Council approved the Audited Statement of Accounts 2023/24.

Other Business

The Council also considered the following items, which were agreed without debate:

• Announcements
• Petitions for Consideration
• Appointments to Committees
• Decisions taken Under Urgency Arrangements
• Any Other Urgent Business
• Date of Next Meeting